Palm oil: why do we care more about orangutans than migrant workers?

The environmental impact of palm oil is in the spotlight but the workers who endure exploitation in the name of our cakes and cosmetics are largely ignored

The thick haze that has covered vast parts of south-east Asia in recent months has put the ecological impact of the palm oil industry back in the spotlight, but the ongoing issue of tough working conditions for plantation workers remains shrouded behind a veil of silence.

When the Dutch introduced the first palm oil trees on the Indonesian island of Sumatra in the 19th century, they also brought migrants from India and China to cultivate the plantations.