Since I’ve started working with the Rainforests team here at RSPB HQ, my shopping habits have changed. I spend twice as long buying birthday cards as I’m searching the backs for the FSC logo, I’ll buy Rainforest Alliance coffee and tea wherever I can, but there’s one tricky customer that’s almost impossible to spot – palm oil. I do what I can:
I thought I was doing a pretty good job at avoiding palm oil or at least I did until Jonathan in the Rainforests team sent me this quiz from the RSPO, which gives you an idea of how many of the products in your house contain palm oil. I started in the bathroom and wasn’t surprised to see shampoo and conditioner in the shower, but then on to the sink and there was toothpaste. Toothpaste contains palm oil? Really? As I worked through the rooms one by one I was surprised to see more and more products that I had no idea contained palm oil appearing – my hairbrush, mascara, rubber gloves. But the worst one came in the kitchen cupboard. Crisps contain palm oil?? NNNNNOOOOO!!!!!!
It just goes to show how far palm oil has infiltrated into our everyday lives. According to the quiz, 64% of the products in my house contain palm oil and if I didn’t even realise half those products contained palm oil, then how am I supposed to know if it’s sustainable or not? And there was me thinking I was doing ok!
Take the quiz here and let us know how much palm oil is lurking in your cupboards...