Soap & Politics

Does soap ever correlate with politics?

         Of course it does! Everything connects to politics wether it’s the cooking spray you use or the fabric of your clothes. There is always some politics behind the manufacturing of a product. I find it enlightening to explore the controversies of goods. This articles and those to come will illustrate my research, based off news articles and scholarly journals, on natural resources (ingredients) and their impact on a domestic stand point. In other words, I will show the effects, wether positive or negative, of common ingredients used in products.

         First, Palm oil is a widely controversial issue because its profits are so high for the governments in Southeast Asia. During recents months Southeast Asia has endured horrific set backs from such a profiting good. The massive deforestation to create land for Palm oil production has inevitably destroyed natural habitats for endangered species and forest-dwellers. Palm oil production creates massive air, soil, and water pollution, which in turn adds to climate change.

“This unprecedented release of carbon dioxide isn’t just dangerously contributing to climate change. The toxic gases released as the peatlands burn cause immediate and long-term health problems for those living under the haze, including permanent scarring of lung tissue, conjunctivitis, bronchitis, asthma and cardiovascular disease, not to mention stunted lung development in children.”- Heidi Pilled

             What increases Palm oil production? Many would blame the “west” for encouraging and supply resources for the deforestation of Southeast Asian forests. Western companies like “Cargill, Archer Daniels Midland and Unilever are part of a supply chain of producers growing, harvesting and processing palm oil into toiletries, food products and fuel used daily in the United States and other countries.” The supply for Palm oil is massive because the demand is even bigger. These companies go abroad and defile the rights of citizen, which they would not be able to do at home. Standards seem to dissolve once these companies locate into developing countries. The debate on western companies behavior in developing countries is a whole other article, but we must not overlook the hypocrisy of this issue.

            Focusing primarily on Indonesia’s rainforest, which contributes significantly to pharmaceutical achievements, have in recent years been threatened. The US National Cancer Institute has identified that over 2,000 rainforest plants that are prevalent fighters against cancer cell with an immense amount of other plants yet to be analyzed or discovered. Indonesia is the biggest producer and consumer of Palm oil; plantations stretch roughly around twice the size of Belgium. According to reports “deforestation in Indonesia constitutes for a minimum of 8 million hectares of forest land.” This was reported in 2013 with aspirations to increase plantation land by 4 million, which it has accumulated around half of that in 2015.

            Ultimately this is an issue of behavioral standards by western companies. Though many western citizens don’t know or understand the massive effects of ingredient used in common products. It is up to us “westerner” to impose such standards on our companies, when they are conduction business overseas. We must not turn a blind eye because it’s not happening on our land. We are one earth, one planet not many worlds within one planet. We would never risk our rights and livelihood for the profit of any good. So we must create standards that companies must oblige, no matter if they or conducting business domestically or overseas. How can we get these huge companies to oblige? First we can look at the products we purchase and choice an alternative to products with palm oil in it. Once the demand for palm oil decreases, supply will decrease. Prominently we must research and spread our knowledge on the effects of ingredients, like Palm oil. The protect and “proper” supervision of our natural resources must be understood and sustained for generates to come.