Child labor has long been a dark stain on the $65 billion global palm oil industry. Many producers, Western buyers and banks belong to the 4,000-member Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, a global association that provides a green stamp of approval to those committed to supplying, sourcing, financing or using palm oil that’s been certified as ethically sourced. ———Olivia is not the first Girl Scout to raise questions about the way palm oil makes its way into the beloved American cookies. Those, like Olivia, who want to make sense of where their palm oil really comes from often find themselves confused, since the dense terms used to explain what makes palm oil sustainable can sometimes raise even more questions. Back in Indonesia, Ima could give a very different classroom presentation about palm oil, but she has no chance.

Source: ABC News December 29, 2020 05:03 UTC