Palm oil has become the target of criticism from environmentalists and green activists in recent years. In fact, just this year Nestle, Marks & Spencer's and General Mills have reacted to their use of palm oil, either dropping suppliers who are allegedly non-sustainable suppliers, or else reinforcing their stance against the destruction of primary rain forests and biodiversity hubs in South East Asia. The controversy surrounding palm oil, a source of agricultural revenue for many South East Asian countries, especially Malaysia and Indonesia, arose recently when a video surfaced on Youtube, parodying Nestle's KitKat advertisement. The video, by Greenpeace, has an office-worker opening a KitKat to “take a break”, but biting into what appears to be an orangutan's finger, rather than a chocolate wafer finger. The video, below, is part of the environmental group's campaign against Nestle's use of palm oil from unsustainable operations in Indonesia. As what can be seen a result of this video, Nestle has now announced that they will cease buying palm oil from, Sinar Mas, an Indonesian supplier of Palm Oil. Team Orangutan reports: Considering the amount of palm oil Nestle places in their products, it will be tough for them to get that amount from palm oil plantations that use sustainable practices. Sustainable palm oil just doesn't exist. The land used for sustainable palm oil is limited. There is no way to supply the demand without destroying the rainforest. That is why we need to encourage companies to find alternative oils. The problem won't stop until companies replace or eliminate palm oil from their products. While Nestle's decision is a temporary victory, we need to take it as encouragement that we can help change the situation and we can make a difference in our world. Palm fruit, photo courtesy of Scott Parker On a larger scale, Team Orangutan alarmingly states: Indonesian officials have said they aim to more than double the country's crude palm oil output to 40 million tonnes by 2020 through increased yields and more plantations. Rainforest destruction in Indonesia make it one of the biggest emitters of greenhouse gases in the world. It also kills hundreds of orangutans every day. Palm oil is an unnecessary oil. We need to keep educating, and keep making an effort. We can do this together. Together, we can protect the orangutans from genocide. As a backgrounder on palm oil, at least in Malaysia, the Malaysian Agriculture blog, quoting a piece by Ahmad Ibrahim from the New Straits Times, stated: Just a year ago, palm oil was on Cloud Nine. It was the toast of the country’s economy. The price of crude palm oil (CPO) breached the RM4,000 mark to touch RM4,312 a tone on March 3, last year. Price stayed above RM3,000 for about seven months, an all-time record. Palm oil companies were dishing out big fat bonuses for their employees. Many were declaring handsome dividends for their investors. Oil palm smallholders were enjoying lucrative returns. Nobody then thought that palm oil prices would ever drop to unprofitable levels. Most in the industry were convinced that the palm oil price would never again dip below RM2,000 a tone. That just demonstrated the overwhelming confidence many had in the palm oil industry. Events of recent weeks have shattered that confidence. On Oct 24, last year, palm oil prices slumped to a low of RM1,390 per tonne, a massive drop from RM4,000. Perhaps part of this slowdown in the palm oil industry is evidenced by an investigative piece of journalism, by Martin Hickman, entitled ‘The guilty secrets of palm oil: Are you unwittingly contributing to the devastation of the rain forests?’, on how palm oil is destroying virgin rainforest and threatening the survival of the endangered orangutans, among others, in Malaysia and Indonesia being awarded the ‘Environment Story of the Year’ by Foreign Press Association’s Media Awards. The piece stated: In its own way, palm oil is a wonder plant. Astonishingly productive, its annual yield is 3.6 tonnes a hectare compared with half a tonne for soy or rapeseed. Originally found in West Africa, palm oil is uniquely “fractionable” when cooked, meaning its properties can be easily separated for different products. Although high in artery-clogging saturated fat, it is healthier than hydrogenated fats. For manufacturers, there is another significant benefit. At £400 a tonne, it is cheaper than soy, rapeseed or sunflower. … Indonesia is trying to crack down on illegal foresting, but corruption is rife hundreds of miles from Jakarta.