Should we cut out palm oil?

In Europe and the US, campaigns against palm oil have caught the public imagination. Compelling pictures of orangutans deprived of their natural habitats have spurred boycotts, but as our Ethical Finance 2021 panel explains, the view from the ground in South East Asia is a little different.

Unsustainable palm oil is – unquestionably – bad. However, driving smallholders out of palm oil production would have knock-on effects.

Not only is it an economically important crop, but it also produces an incredibly high number of calories for a given land area – so were farmers to replace those calories, they might have to clear even more forest.

Led by Prasad Padmanaban of our partners at the Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers, our expert panel discusses these issues, and more facing the region, in one of our unique regional showcase sessions from Ethical Finance 2021.