• How has palm oil production changed since the 1960s?
  • Palm oil production has increased rapidly since the 1960s. Between 1970 and 2020, the world¡¯s production of palm oil increased by about 40 times. Global production went from only 2 million tonnes to around 80 million tonnes. The change in global production is shown in the chart.3
  • How much is the palm oil industry worth?
  • As of Q3 2017, the listed value or aggregate market capitalization of the palm oil sector was $85 billion, with a capital value of approximately $200 billion, according to Hardman & Co, a capital markets research company.
  • Can Europe shift the global market to sustainable palm oil?
  • While at the same time, the consumption of palm oil is increasing in other parts of the world where the market for sustainable palm oil products is still in its infancy. In this context, the report highlights the importance of maintaining Europe¡¯s role in helping to shift the global market to sustainable palm oil.
  • How do palm oil prices intersect with sustainability?
  • Therefore, examining how palm oil prices intersect with the sector¡¯s sustainability is paramount. As with other commodity markets, palm oil prices are largely correlated with shifts in supply and demand and with price movements of competing products, such as other vegetable oils (e.g., sunflower and soybean oil) or biodiesel.
  • Which countries produce the most palm oil?
  • Indonesia and Malaysia are the largest palm oil suppliers, collectively accounting for over 85 percent of the global production. Indonesia had, by far, the largest palm oil land usage in the world. It is the only country that has significantly increased the size of its palm oil forestry, which grew by almost 650 percent between 2000 to 2022.
  • How can eforts contribute to sustainable palm oil production?
  • Eforts from these countries to consume more sustainable palm oil would have major implications upstream by incentivizing producers to integrate more sustainable practices and support the implementation of sustainability standards (UNDP China, 2020).