Iceland Christmas advert: Which products contain palm oil and why is it bad for the environment?

The Iceland Christmas advert stresses the damaging impact that production of palm oil can have on the environment

A protected area of the Rawa Singkil wildlife reserve is burnt in preparation for a palm oil plantation, March 3 2018 (Getty Images)

Iceland recently unveiled its hard-hitting Christmas advert, which was deemed too “political” by Clearcast.

The 90-second short, originally made by environmental organisation Greenpeace, highlights the impact that production of palm oil can have on the environment by depicting the plight of an orangutan that had lost its home due to deforestation.

Palm oil is used in a myriad of household products, including shampoo, margarine and soap.

So what is palm oil, what products contain it and why is it bad for the environment? Here’s everything you need to know:

What is palm oil?

Palm oil is a type of vegetable oil that comes from palm oil trees.

Palm oil trees can be found in Africa, Asia, North America and South America, many of which are grown on plantations.

85 per cent of all palm oil that’s produced is exported from Indonesia and Malaysia, according to the organisation Say No To Palm Oil.

Why is palm oil bad for the environment?

Many areas of rainforest are destroyed in order to make space for large palm oil plantations, Greenpeace explains.

As depicted in the Iceland advert, this leads to many species such as orangutans losing their homes and being put at risk of losing their lives.

The organisation states that an area of rainforest the size of a football pitch is lost every 25 seconds in Indonesia due to deforestation.

While a lot of palm oil is produced in a manner that damages the environment, it can be produced in a responsible way, explains the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

WWF is currently working with Johnson & Johnson, a pharmaceutical company, in order to promote sustainability within the palm oil industry.

What products contain palm oil?

Palm oil can be found in numerous everyday household, cosmetic and edible products.

The vegetable oil is used to manufacture makeup such as lipstick, as it helps lipstick to retain its colour for longer.

Palm oil is also used in margarine, as it allows the dairy product to stay solid at room temperature, and in chocolate, to help give it its smooth and visually appealing appearance

Other products that contain palm oil, as outlined by WWF, include ice cream, laundry detergent and instant noodles.

How can you find products made with sustainable palm oil?

Act for Wildlife, an organisation led by Chester Zoo, has created a list of brands that use palm oil that’s been sourced in a responsible way, without causing harm to the environment.

For biscuits that contain certified sustainable palm oil, Act for Wildlife recommends brands including Wagon Wheels, Maryland, Lotus and Jammie Dodgers.

Hovis and Warburtons offer bread made with sustainable palm oil, Galaxy and Kinder do the same for chocolate, and Clover and Nutella do the same for dairy products and spreads.

Other brands on Act for Wildlife’s list include Quorn, Uncle Ben’s, Dolmio, Turrell’s crisps and Skittles. Click here for the full list.