Will Swiss palm oil declaration save orangutans?

Conservationists have welcomed the decision to have palm oil in products declared, but more is needed to preserve dwindling orangutan habitat in Sumatra and Borneo. The battle to save orangutans has brought together Zurich Zoo, NGOs and major retailers. A group of orangutans in the zoo’s ape enclosure are just starting their morning activities. This involves looking for food and materials, such as cardboard boxes and straw, to make nests. In the wild, orangutans build new nests every day as they move around the rainforests in Sumatra and Borneo, the only two places they still survive. Profits from palm oil plantations have led to the cutting down of large swaths of their rainforest habitat. From cosmetics and detergents to food stuffs – even sometimes chocolate – palm oil, cheap and versatile, is used everywhere.  It used to be labelled as a “vegetable oil” but since January 2016, it must be declared as palm oil on packaging. “It’s the only way that the consumer ...