Cornish organisations join Newquay Zoo to become Sustainable Palm Oil Champions
Three major Newquay-based organisations – University Centre Newquay, co-working hub CSpace, and clothing and footwear company Celtic & Co. – have all been named Sustainable Palm Oil Champions, as part of a campaign to turn Newquay into a Sustainable Palm Oil Town.
The initiative has been spearheaded by Newquay Zoo to encourage people to use palm oil that has been grown sustainably, in order to protect precious habitats.
Many of the animals at Newquay Zoo – including Owston’s civets, Asian short clawed otters and the critically endangered Sumatran laughing thrush – are at risk from deforestation methods used in unsustainable palm oil production, which includes the use of fire to clear large areas of land in areas of rich biodiversity.
By switching to palm oil that has been certified as sustainable, people are not only supporting the protection of rainforests, but also the creation of wildlife corridors to help plants and animals thrive, and better rights and conditions for workers too.
In order to become a Sustainable Palm Oil Champion, organisations must pledge to switch to using palm oil that has been grown sustainably, and to promote awareness of the campaign among their staff and customers.
Dr Kathy Baker, Research Coordinator and Newquay Community Project Lead, said: “We are delighted to have an education facility, a shared working space and a commercial business leading the way in championing sustainable palm oil.
“We hope that more businesses will show their commitment to protecting precious habitats and wildlife in this way too.”
This campaign is part of the Sustainable Palm Oil Communities initiative, which was developed by Chester Zoo. As a result of this initiative, Chester became the world’s first ever Sustainable Palm Oil City in 2019.
Local business and organisations that are interested in being a Sustainable Palm Oil Champion can find out more here: www.newquayzoo.org.uk/conservation/sustainable-palm-oil-community/
Newquay Zoo is part of Wild Planet Trust, a conservation charity that is dedicated to helping halt species decline both in the UK and abroad. For more information, go to: www.wildplanettrust.org.uk
