Palm oil advert banned11 September 2009
An advert promoting palm oil as sustainable has been banned in the UK.
Forest cleared for palm oil plantation
The Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) published the advert in the Economist in April.
It claimed that palm oil was the green answer for biofuels and foodstuffs.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) upheld the complaint made by Friends of the Earth in full.
Misleading claims
It stated that the advert misled the public by claiming production of palm oil as "sustainable and socially useful".
MPOC also used the advert to criticise those concerned with the environmental impact of palm oil production.
Our research shows that Malaysian palm oil production is not sustainable - it destroys forests, increases carbon emissions, and forces local communities off their land.
Kenneth Richter, Friends of the Earth biofuels campaigner
Further reading
False claims of Malaysian palm oil
Report exposing the claim that Malaysian palm oil is sustainable as untrue
Biofuels - the road to nowhere
The truth about biofuels
© Friends of the Earth
