Sustainability in Malaysian palm oil: A review on manufacturing perspective

Abstract

The increasing worldwide demand of sustainable palm oil product has encouraged the industry to develop a sustainability strategy on the unintended social, environmental, and economic consequences of rapid population growth, economic growth, and consumption of natural resources. This study reviews the manufacturing perspective on the current sustainability effort and identifies the drivers for sustainability-particularly in Malaysia-that control almost 50 percent of the global export market share. It revealed current research on sustainability in general palm oil manufacturing (or palm oil mill) which involves empty fruit bunches, crude palm oil, crude palm kernel oil, the refinery process, and palm oil waste management. It also highlights the drivers for sustainability in the Malaysian palm oil industry. The findings of our study suggest that manufacturing sustainability in Malaysian palm oil manufacturing is driven by three main objectives: environmental consciousness, economic escalation, and social commitment-which all link to each other and demonstrate progress toward sustainability. Nevertheless, social commitment shows a lesser amount of publications among the drivers. This study can be helpful for palm oil organisations (particularly in Malaysia) to recognize their opportunities and threats in efforts to enhance business profiles, corporate reputations, and market growth without neglecting environmental and social impacts.