European Parliament votes to phase out unsustainable palm oil

The European Parliament has voted overwhelmingly in favour of measures to phase out the use of vegetable oils that drive deforestation, including palm oil, as a component of biofuels by 2020.

The resolution, which was approved by Members of the European Parliament by 640 votes to 18, with 28 abstentions, would see the EU introduce a single certification scheme for palm oil entering the EU market. It is aimed to counter the impacts of unsustainable palm oil production, such as deforestation and habitat degradation, particularly in South-East Asia.

‘We want an open debate with all players so we can make palm oil production sustainable, without cutting down forests and in compliance with dignified human rights conditions,’ said MEP Kateřina Konečná from the Czech Republic, who drafted the resolution. ‘This is Parliament’s first resolution on this issue and it is up to the Commission how it acts upon it. But we cannot ignore the problem of deforestation, which threatens the COP21 Global Agreement on Climate Change and UN Sustainable Development Goals.’

Around 46% of the palm oil imported by the EU is used to produce biofuels, which MEPs say requires the use of about one million hectares of tropical soils. They call on the Commission to take measures to phase out the use of unsustainable vegetable oils by 2020.

While voluntary certification schemes already exist to promote the sustainable cultivation of palm oil, MEPs say that their standards are open to criticism and are confusing for consumers. They advocate a single certification scheme that introduces sustainability criteria and will guarantee that only sustainable fuel enters the EU.