Ditch The Palm Oil

Hiya!

The infamous 'banned' Iceland advert has sparked many discussion both online and in person. Due to it not being able to be aired on TV, the main bulk of conversation has been via social media, most notably the circulation of the advert on popular social media platforms Twitter and Facebook. Although it has actually surfaced that it was never technically banned, it started a very important conversation as to where ingredients from our food actually comes from, the impact it has on the planet and why we need to take action.

Now, I'm far from perfect but I've made several steps in order to moderate what I eat and my impact on the world around me. Just by existing we create damage to the environment, and so I wanted to try and live best I can and to create the smallest impact possible given my current circumstance. I don't eat meat or fish, I don't consume honey, I choose not to eat dairy and I try and avoid single use plastic wherever possible. This isn't me bragging, it's me just simply stating a few ways I've managed to cut down my impact on the planet. A few other things consist of using reusable cotton face scrubbies I make myself (hit me up if you want to test some before I start selling them!) and bamboo toothbrushes. I recycle properly and do food waste and compost. My waste is going down considerably and I'm very excited to keep it going!

One of the biggest and most overlooked causes of damage is palm oil. Unsustainable palm oil is found in so many products that it does not need to exist in. Sainsbury's, Waitrose and M&S are some of the best for opting into sustainable palm oil in their products, but the frontrunner is clearly Iceland. The supermarket have pledged to remove all palm oil from their products across the board.

Rang-tan is the star of the Greenpeace/Iceland advert that's caused such a stir online
Image credit: https://scrapsfromtheloft.com/2018/11/15/rang-tan-palm-oil-greenpeace-animation/

In 'A Letter from Richard Walker' under the 'environment' section of the Iceland website, the founder of the popular supermarket states:

"...the ‘ban’ has re-written all the traditional rules. Ours has become the most watched Christmas ad ever, with over 70 million views and counting online. Far from being a cynical PR ploy all along, this was a genuine case of serendipity. I think it proved just how engaged and concerned consumers are with this issue, and it raised a global debate around the pros and cons of palm oil and deforestation."

Although the Christmas ad has been widely watched by the public, I'm not too sure it's had much of an effect. Does having various (often disengaged, distanced and uninterested) celebrities sharing a video make anyone change their mind and decide to ditch palm oil altogether? I would love to say yes, but I guarantee you it's not been as successful as they may have hoped, and I fear this is mainly due to some people just buying cheaper food this Christmas. This is something we are all guilty of doing. 

So, I reckon we should ditch the palm oil where possible, or turn to sustainable sources and support Iceland and other supermarkets, franchises etc. that are backing this notion. Nelson Mandela said that education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world, and I truly believe that with further education we can all ditch palm oil and other destructive products, ingredients, byproducts and harmful things in order to try and lessen the damage we do to this planet. A sustainable future is coming, and I am excited for a day when we all work together to achieve it.

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Less heavy content scheduled for tomorrow, but let's face it my posts have been a bit too cheery even for me!

B x