Palm oil in Teso products - yes or no?

Palm oil is used in a wide range of products in the food and cosmetic industry. Although this oil has a large amount of beneficial properties, the palm oil industry is a dark one, with ethical and environmental issues at its core. However, not all palm oil is unethical or unsustainable, which is why it's crucial to dive deeper into its history and current uses.

As a personal care business that values ​​transparency, we're committed to raising awareness and educating others, which is why we're bringing you this informative post that will walk you through everything you need to know about palm oil.

What is palm oil?

Palm oil is a type of vegetable oil obtained from palm fruits. The types of palm oil differ depending on which part of the fruit they are obtained from, such as the flesh, the stone in the middle of the fruit, or the kernel of the fruit (WWF, 2020).

Let's talk about the benefits

Palm oil is an extremely useful oil to use because of its versatility and range of uses. This oil extends the shelf life of the product because it is resistant to oxidation. In addition, this oil is extremely moisturizing and is ideal for sensitive skin as it helps nourish all skin irritations and concerns. Also, due to its odorless and colorless nature, this oil does not change the taste, color or smell of products containing it (WWF, 2020 and New Directions Aromatics Inc., 2021)

Dealing with controversy

Palm oil has gained quite a reputation and not for the right reasons. Unfortunately, palm oil production has contributed to: (WWF and RAN 2020):

-Deforestation in places that are home to many endangered species

- Destruction of our rainforests

- Increasing the risk of poaching

- Pollution and fog

- The release of tons of greenhouse gases due to the destruction of peatlands, which releases years of stored carbon into the atmosphere

- Exploitation of people working in the palm oil sector and child labor

So why don't we just cancel palm oil?

As you may have read above, there are major and alarming problems concerning this agribusiness sector. Labor exploitation and climate change are critical issues that are prevalent in today's society and affect each and every one of us.

That being said, completely eliminating the use of palm oil is not the answer either. Not only is palm oil diverse in its uses and properties, but the production of palm oil is greater than any other vegetable oil, meaning it requires less space to produce and harvest, thus reducing the amount of deforestation that occurs. Also, the number of farmers in developing economies whose livelihoods depend on palm oil will definitely not benefit if we completely phase out palm oil (WWF, 2020). Fortunately, there is an ethical solution to this issue, and that is RSPO palm oil.

What is RSPO palm oil?

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil aka RSPO is a non-profit organization that helps unify, certify and oversee important sectors of the palm oil industry, from production to traders. Their primary goal is to normalize sustainable palm oil as a proactive solution to the controversies this oil has contributed to (RSPO, 2020).

The certification process consists of three steps: standards, accreditation and process requirements, which are used to investigate the palm oil supply chain. These criteria help to solve problems, reduce negative impacts and ensure that all parts of the palm oil production chain operate according to the same set of environmental and social standards (RSPO, 2020).

Tesu and palm oil

As a small business, we are committed to sustainable and ethical practices, which is why we do not use palm oil. Tesu has proactively researched this ingredient and considered the risks and factors. With our knowledge of palm oil, we do not want to compromise the integrity, sustainability or quality of our products and therefore believe that removing palm oil from the formulation is our best option. Organizations like the RSPO are doing what is needed to ensure that the future of palm oil is sustainable and ethical, and companies that use sustainable palm oil are doing their part to ensure that this problem is ameliorated.