Palm oil is found in many supermarket products, like biscuits, toothpaste, and of course – chocolate.

Despite being a versatile ingredient, unsustainably sourced palm oil can come with a hefty environmental price tag. When it’s farmed unsustainably, it can leave many of your favourite animals like Orangutans, Asian Elephants, Sumatran Tigers and Gibbons without safe wild habitats.

Palm oil can commonly be disguised under 200 other names such as ‘vegetable oil’, ‘beta-carotene’ or ‘palmitate’, and it can be tricky to tell if you’re making the right choice by looking at the label alone.

That’s why we have joined Zoos and Aquariums across Australia and New Zealand to celebrate companies that use Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO) across their Easter product range.

The PalmOil Scan app gives you sustainable shopping in the ‘palm’ of your hand, so that you can make a difference! The barcode scanner allows you to scan your favourite products and ensure the companies who make them are members of the CSPO and committed to sustainable palm oil.

You can indulge in the sweetest of treats, knowing they aren’t contributing to habitat destruction!

Without these critical eco-systems, wildlife are forced to compete for dwindling, scarce resources and become more vulnerable to the illegal trade in wildlife.

Perth Zoo Primate Supervisor, Holly Thompson, said it’s important to remember that palm oil itself is not the enemy, in fact, it’s a good resource when farmed in a sustainable way.

“Unfortunately through unsustainable logging and the destruction of rainforest habitats, species like our beloved orangutans are at risk of becoming extinct within a generation because of this human impact. 

“Every little thing we do – like simply picking the most forest-friendly brand of Easter treat – can go a long way.”
Enjoy an eggs-tra eco-friendly Easter this year, with this helpful shopping guide to protect wildlife and wild places.

Learn more here.

Photograph by Alex Cearns