SENNA invitation to the Palm Oil Dialogue Forum

Sustainable – but how? That was the question that SENNA intended to get to grips with at its second knowledge exchange about palm oil that was held on 24 May 2018.

As a user of palm oil, SENNA has set itself the task of raising awareness for the important issues that surround the product in Austria. Aspects of palm oil are, after all, strategically anchored in all kinds of companies. But the complexities associated with palm oil mean that its sustainable use in day-to-day business constitutes a challenge for everyone. That’s why SENNA launched the Palm Oil Dialogue Forum as a place to explore and discuss the issue jointly.

This second iteration of the forum was held at the Veranstaltungszentrum Europahaus Wien (Europahaus Event Centre in Vienna) on 24 May 2018. Experts from the industry came together on that day to join the participants and probe the topic from a variety of angles. The World Cafés mode was new this year. It meant that participants were invited to join an even more intensive exchange where the question of sustainability was scrutinised in detail. One thing was clear as the forum came to an end: everyone, particularly in Europe, must contribute to the solution. The discussions of the day revealed many divergent views regarding the rights and wrongs of the issues related to palm oil – but the only really wrong thing would be to do nothing. That’s why exchanges and dialogue must continue and business people as well as private individuals are required to critically review and question their purchasing and consumption decisions if sustainable progress is to be achieved within the ecosystem that is our planet earth.