We’re on day 4 of this annual #OrangutanCaringWeek and it's important to think about ways in which you can support the fight to help the endangered orangutan - ALL throughout the year! One critical way is by avoiding products containing #unsustainablepalmoil.

#PalmOil is used in nearly 50% of all products on supermarket shelves. It's also the most productive vegetable oil grown and the industry employs millions of people.

On #Borneo and #Sumatra, transformation of lowland rainforests into lg-scale palm oil plantations causes loss of wildlife including #orangutans. 100s of 1000s have died over the last several decades while millions of hectares of forest have been converted to oil palm monoculture.

Rather than continue to allow this to go on in an uncontrolled and destructive manner, govt & non-govt organizations have created procedures to certify commodities as sustainable when the companies eliminate forest clearing and a host of other unsustainable practices.

It’s important to highlight that not all products containing palm oil are unsustainable and the decision of cutting out palm oil completely from your shopping is not the solution to rainforest degradation.

The solution is to purchase products containing #sustainablepalmoil & support industries working to break the chain of slash & burn agriculture. W/o that support, there will be no incentive for industries as a whole to switch to harvesting palm oil in a more sustainable way.

Download a sustainable palm oil shopping app & assess the products you're buying so you aren't contributing to an industry harming the environment! Apps such as #RSPO, #PalmSmart, and #CheyenneMountainZoo are great examples! #Shopsmart & build a more sustainable future!