Palm oil is a key ingredient in everyday products — from food to cosmetics — and fuels a $70‑billion global industry, but its growth has come with major environmental costs, including deforestation, biodiversity loss, and heavy chemical use. In Colombia, one of the world's top producers, efforts to make palm oil more sustainable are expanding and more responsible farming practices are being implemented while still supporting thousands of rural jobs.
At the same time, biotech innovators in Europe are creating lab‑cultivated alternatives made from fermented yeast, offering stable quality and local production without relying on tropical land or climate‑sensitive crops. As global demand rises, experts say the future of palm oil depends on balancing economic dependence with environmental responsibility — diversifying production rather than replacing it outright.
This video summary was created by AI from the original DW script. It was edited by a journalist before publication.