Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from the mesocarp
(reddish pulp) of the fruit of the oil palms. The oil is used in
food manufacturing, in beauty products, and as biofuel. Palm oil
accounted for about *3% of global oils produced from oil crops in
***4.
The use of palm oil has attracted the concern of environmental
groups due to deforestation in the tropics where palms are grown,
and has been cited as a factor in social problems due to
allegations of human rights violations among growers. An industry
group formed in ***4 to create more sustainable and ethical palm
oil, through the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil. However, very
little palm oil is certified through the organization, and some
groups have criticized it as greenwashing.
