Team:Manchester/Ethics

The massive demand for palm oil has devastating effects on the environment of countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia, amongst others. Rainforests are routinely destroyed in order to make way for oil palm plantations, which endangers many rare species. Our project aims to combat this...

The main exporters of palm oil are Malaysia and Indonesia, and the economies of these countries rely heavily on its production. How would introducing a synthetic alternative to this natural product affect these economies?

In order to minimise the negative impact of creating a synthetic alternative to palm oil on the economies of the developing countries relying on its natural production, we considered potential policies that could be put in place to protect these economies.

So what does this all mean for the futures of Malaysia and Indonesia? Would it be possible to introduce a synthetic alternative to palm oil whilst ensuring their economies and livelihoods are safeguarded?