The Deep's campaign to create a sustainable palm oil region expands

The University of Hull’s catering department are the latest organisation to sign up to The Deep’s campaign to make Hull and East Yorkshire a sustainable palm oil region.

The catering department at the university carried out and audit and have made the switch from their usual cooking oil to one which contains sustainably sourced palm oil. The team will be continuing to review their supply chain and intend to make further changes in the future, continuing their journey as a sustainable palm oil champion.

Rob Stratton, Executive Chef at the University of Hull “As a University, we’re committed to sustainability and social justice and to doing our best for future generations to come. No matter where in the world you are, deforestation and climate change affect us all. If we keep living the way we are now, it will lead to devastation for our families, our homes, our businesses and our entire way of life.

We were delighted to be asked by The Deep to join their excellent campaign for change and we hope that it continues to gather momentum.”

The campaign launched by The Deep in partnership with Chester Zoo, AAK and Judith Murdoch Associates, aims to support businesses in the Hull and East Yorkshire region to influence their suppliers and make the switch to sustainable palm oil. 

Palm oil is the most widely used vegetable oil in the world due to its low cost and efficiency. In fact, palm oil supplies 35% of the world’s vegetable oil from just 10% of the global land dedicated to oil crops.

Used widely in food, cosmetics, cleaning products and much more and is a very useful product – however, unsustainably produced palm oil causes harm to rainforests, river systems and the species which live there.

Katy Duke, CEO of The Deep said: “We are proud to have the University of Hull’s Commercial Services as an accredited Sustainable Palm Oil champion for the region. Their commitment to making just one change and to continuing to audit further products and suppliers which contain palm oil is to be applauded. The university is a fantastic addition to our ever growing community of champions”.

If you are interested in finding out more about how you can take the first steps to becoming a sustainable palm oil champion, please visit here or email [email protected] with an expression of interest. 

BIAZA Members can access resources on sustainable palm oil here.