Towards a Sustainable Palm Oil Industry : Environmental impacts of the palm oil industry, particularly in Indonesia, and how the industry can move towards sustainability

Abstract

This thesis investigates the negative environmentalimpacts of the growing palm oil industry in Indonesia, and strives to find solutions to the difficult task of attaining sustainability. Throughout the thesis we aim at presenting information that relates to and provides useful insight into the palm oil industry and Indonesia, as well as surrounding elements that affect and are affected by the industry, and lastly provide insight into necessary steps going forward in order to achieve a sustainable industry. We explore the evolution and findings of different environmental impact assessments. The three assessment tools, life cycle sustainability assessment, life cycle assessment, and total economic valuation, were investigated in an integrative case study.