How to get better alignment between the scientific information and public perception 

The end of the year is always a time to reflect. If I think about SPOC and added value, four highlights come to mind. They all revolve around the amplification of the real science and data surrounding palm oil.

That this is so needed, was confirmed by a twitter feed I read this morning by Dr Hannah Ritchie of Our World In Data. She notes: “A topic where I see one of the biggest gaps between public opinion & recommendations from scientists is palm oil. Companies often boycott palm oil to look sustainable to consumers. But a ban is rarely the recommendation from experts.”

So… the million dollar question is: How can we get more alignment between the scientists’ recommendations and public opinion? At SPOC, we aim to share accurate information from credible sources. As I look back over the year, I note some highlights in such communication efforts.

On 23 November we organised a webinar together with Wageningen University. Three inspirational experts, DrJames Fry from LMC International, Dr Erik Meijaard from Borneo Futures and Dr Maja Slingerland from Wageningen University presented on The Vegetable Oil Conundrum: How to meet future vegetable oil demand within the limits of our planetary boundaries? The experts demonstrated with accurate data and scientific modeling, it’s very clear that due to its high yield and consistent income flow, there is definitely a role for palm oil to feed the global population in a sustainable way now and in the future.

Another highlight was the broadcast of The Earthshot Prize series this autumn on the BBC hosted by Sir David Attenborough and Prince William. In the series, Sir David championed the efforts of our friends at Chester Zoo, whose conservation experts have been leaders in driving sustainability in palm oil. Having made Chester the world’s first Sustainable Palm Oil City, their influence has resulted in many other communities coming on board and very recently two new communities in Europe have declared that they would like to pursue this challenge. Of course SPOC amplified this messaging.

A third highlight was the presentation I gave to the Retailers’ Palm Oil Group, a group uniting 13 retailers, including Ahold Delhaize, Lidl, Aldi and Tesco, that collaborate to support the transition to sustainable palm oil and to explore the role retailers can play. By communicating about palm oil in a more scientific way, retailers can help consumers make the right choices.

Finally our social media outreach has been a great accomplishment. Over the year, we’ve generated many LinkedIn and Twitter posts sharing our own content or amplifying that of others who contribute to the nuanced discussion of the issue, together resulting in 160.000 LinkedIn impressions and 277.000 Twitter impressions. 

Marieke Leegwater

Sustainable Palm Oil Choice