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Palm oil’s contribution to the United Nations sustainable development goals: outcomes of a review of socio-economic aspects

Palm oil is both the world’s most-used vegetable oil and the most criticized for its environmental impact due to the observed reduction in tropical forest areas for its cultivation over the past decades. There is, however, very little discussion on the socio-economic implications associated with the production of palm oil. To contribute to a more informed debate, we conducted an in-depth review of the existing literature addressing the various socio-economic aspects of the production of palm oil, outlining its contribution to the achievement of the United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGs). The outcomes, findings and conclusions from 82 studies, published from 2010 onward, were considered as positive, negative, neutral or varied, and sometimes even contradicting, with regard to the contribution of palm cultivation and/or oil production to the achievement of a set of eight SDGs, selected to be those most related to socio-economic development, differentiating when possible between sustainable and conventional production. The results show that it is difficult to draw uniform views, highlighting the nuances and varied facets of the contribution of palm oil to the eight SDGs, some of which are inevitably interconnected. In general, it emerges that palm oil plays a crucial role in boosting the economy and livelihoods of local communities in many developing producer countries, substantially contributing to poverty reduction and to food security. However, the expansion of oil palm plantations has, in some cases, exacerbated social inequalities, and the economic growth generated by the palm oil production chain is not always accompanied by decent working conditions. Against this backdrop, the achievement of some SDGs is often facilitated by the implementation of sustainability certification schemes that play a key role in improving the socio-economic and environmental performance of palm oil production. This leads enhanced socio-economic livelihoods for the people living in the production areas in terms of working conditions, infrastructure, services and wages, with a consequent reduction of poverty rates, an increase in education quality, as well as better access to food and healthcare systems.