It’s not easy to change public perception
The Star Online (18/11/2018) - PROTECTING the palm oil industry does not get any easier, does it?
Some 30 years ago, soybean growers in the United States ran a campaign alleging that palm oil and other “tropical oils” were harmful to the heart.
It got to a point where American lawmakers were considering making it a must to identify such oils in food products and to label these oils as saturated fats.
Malaysia fought hard against what it called smear tactics, countering with its own advertisements, research and lobbying.
Eventually the combatants laid down their arms, although to this day, some people still cling to vague notions that palm oil is bad for health.
And yet it was clear that the soybean industry’s campaign was more about market share than about the well-being of Americans.
It was a painful lesson on how public perception can be easily shaped into antipathy towards something and that it is very hard to correct any misinformation once that sentiment sets in.
This has to be uppermost in the minds of our government leaders and key people in the Malaysian palm oil industry when dealing with the current onslaught against palm oil.
For well over a decade, the anti-palm oil lobby has been driven by NGOs that want others to see oil palm cultivators as “rainforest destroyers” and palm oil as “dirty”.
These NGOs say the opening of oil palm plantations deprives animals of their habitats and escalates human-wildlife conflict.
They allege that human rights and the global climate are among the casualties as well.
The government and the industry have been challenging these claims, pointing out that there are serious efforts to make oil palm cultivation more sustainable and that the picture painted by the NGOs is inaccurate and unfair.
There is no doubt that the palm oil industry today is a lot more committed to the environment and the community than it was, say, 15 years ago.
But the anti-palm oil lobby keeps evolving too. Politicians and mass media outlets are not necessarily the primary targets these days.
Instead, the NGOs often aim for the hearts and minds of consumers. Social media is a powerful platform for enlisting the support of the people to pressure manufacturers and retailers to reject palm oil.
And the orangutan is a very useful symbol for gaining attention and sympathy.
The latest example is the Rang-tan video by Greenpeace.
Narrated by Oscar-winner Emma Thompson, the 90-second animated story starts with an adorable girl who is exasperated that an equally adorable juvenile orangutan is wreaking havoc in her room.
“There’s a ‘rang-tan’ in my bedroom and I don’t know what to do,” she complains.
Then she finds out why the ape is there.
“There are humans in my forest and I don’t know what to do,” says the animal.
“They’re burning it for palm oil, so I thought I’d stay with you.”
The girl decides to help.
“I’ll share your story far and wide so others can fight too,” she pledges.
The video was published online in August but became a cause celebre this month after UK supermarket Iceland said it was not allowed to use the video as its Christmas TV ad.
This is because the UK broadcast advertising rules prohibit political advertising and Greenpeace is regarded as a political body.
Naturally, the controversy has helped the anti-palm oil lobby.
It is unfortunate that the palm oil industry is up against a highly emotive video designed to make kids and their parents see the industry as a cartoon villain in the same class as the hunter who killed Bambi’s mother.
Sure, somebody could always try creating an animated video that states the industry’s case – that oil palm accounts for less deforestation than many other agricultural activities; that compared with other crops, oil palm needs far less land to give the same amount of oil; and that the industry is a key socio-economic force in Malaysia and Indonesia.
But the thing is, will anybody watch it?
No, palm oil will have to rely on cold hard facts, constant engagement and collaboration with stakeholders, transparency and integrity, strong enforcement, and an unwavering belief that sustainability will be good for all in the long run.