Catastrophic Wastelanding Due to Palm Oil Expansion
C16 Biosciences, a pioneering biotech company founded by Shara Ticku and Harry McNamara in 2017, is working on a groundbreaking innovation: producing synthetic palm oil in a lab setting. This lab-engineered oil could potentially revolutionise the industry, addressing the environmental concerns associated with traditional palm oil production.
Eliminating Environmental Impact
Lab-engineered fats, particularly those produced through precision fermentation, show promising effectiveness in reducing the environmental impact of palm oil production. By replacing habitat-wrecking palm oil with microbial oils that do not require deforestation, these alternatives can help preserve tropical forests and reduce biodiversity loss while lowering carbon footprints relative to traditional palm oil [1].
In terms of environmental impact, lab-grown fats reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to palm oil and avoid deforestation-driven biodiversity loss in critical regions like Malaysia and Indonesia. Moreover, these technologies offer customization at the molecular level to create healthier fats that could improve the nutritional profile of products, potentially further enhancing sustainability and health outcomes [1].
Cost and Market Readiness
While these technologies are still in early to mid-stage development, they are not yet cost-effective for large-scale production, especially for complex fermented ingredients. However, startups such as Dutch NoPalm are pioneering microbe-derived fats, and companies like France's Verley have begun producing precision fermented dairy proteins, working towards scale-up [1]. This suggests that while the technology is advancing rapidly, broad market penetration at competitive prices may still require additional years of development and scaling.
A Parallel Pathway to Sustainability
Sustainable palm oil production practices, supported by organisations like Fedepalma, also continue as a complementary measure in the near term. This indicates a parallel pathway to sustainability alongside lab-engineered alternatives.
A Transformative Solution
These innovations represent a potentially transformative but still maturing solution to palm oil’s environmental harms and could reshape supply chains within the next few years as scale and cost improve [1][2]. Over the last several years, fires and haze linked to palm oil plantations have resulted in more than 100,000 deaths and $30 billion in economic losses in Indonesia. The world consumed nearly 70 million metric tons of palm oil in 2018, more than any other vegetable oil, and the consumption rate is quickly rising.
Palm oil is a ubiquitous agricultural product, found in various consumer goods like frozen pizzas, lipstick, laundry detergent, biofuels, animal feed, and cooking oil. As a top driver of deforestation in Southeast Asia and a threat to nearly 200 vulnerable or endangered species, including orangutans, gibbons, and tigers, the need for sustainable alternatives is urgent.
C16 Biosciences' lab space is currently located in lower Manhattan, supported by New York University's Langone Medical Center. The ultimate target for synthetic alternative oils is the food sector, where most of the volume of palm oil consumption occurs, in order to make a big environmental impact. Cosmetics make sense as a starting point for synthetic alternative oils because they face lower regulatory barriers than food.
Despite these efforts, implementation has been slow, and many companies still do business with "dirty" producers. However, a growing number of agribusiness corporations, including Mars, Kraft, and Nestle, have signed on to the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, a nongovernmental certification board that requires its members to uphold high standards of transparency, environmental protection, and labor rights.
Ivana Gazibara, associate director of Forum for the Future, notes that most alternative oils are still three to four times the cost of palm oil due to the expense of maintaining industrial-scale lab equipment and the low volume of oil produced by microorganisms. However, the team at C16 Biosciences believes that they can produce synthetic oil at a price competitive with palm oil.
One interesting aspect of this development is the potential efficiency gain. Producing the same amount of oil from coconut or soybean plantations would require up to 10 times the amount of land compared to palm oil. This could make lab-grown palm oil a more sustainable and efficient alternative in the long run.
In summary, lab-engineered fats offer a promising solution to the environmental harms associated with palm oil production. While still emerging technologies with higher current costs, they have the potential to revolutionise the industry and reshape supply chains within the next few years as scale and cost improve.
- The lab-engineered fats, particularly microbial oils from precision fermentation, are being developed to address the environmental concerns linked with traditional palm oil production.
- These alternatives to habitat-wrecking palm oil can potentially preserve tropical forests, reduce biodiversity loss, and lower carbon footprints, offering customization at the molecular level for healthier fats.
- Startups like Dutch NoPalm and companies such as France's Verley are pioneering microbe-derived fats, moving the technology towards scale-up, yet broad market penetration may require more development and cost optimization.
- Sustainable palm oil production practices, supported by organizations like Fedepalma, are another complementary measure in the near term, signifying a parallel pathway to sustainability alongside lab-engineered alternatives.
- Innovations in lab-engineered fats are a potentially transformative solution to palm oil’s environmental harms, which could reshape supply chains within the next few years as scale and cost improve.
- The need for sustainable alternatives to palm oil is urgent due to its role as a top driver of deforestation in Southeast Asia and a threat to endangered species, found in various consumer goods and foods.
- C16 Biosciences, a pioneering biotech company, aims to produce synthetic palm oil at a competitive price, which could make lab-grown palm oil a more sustainable and efficient alternative in the long run.
