Abstract
The Malaysian palm oil is an important source of social development and economic growth in the country. Nevertheless, it has been accused of conducting unsustainable practices that may affect the sustainability of this industry. Thus, this study aims to identify the level of sustainability of crude palm oil (CPO) production. Environmental impacts were assessed using the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standardized life cycle assessment (LCA). Economic impacts were evaluated using life cycle costing (LCC). Social impact assessment was identified based on the UNEP/SETAC Guidelines for social life cycle assessment (S-LCA). Life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) was used to combine three methods: LCA, life cycle costing (LCC) and S-LCA using the scoring system method. Finally, a presentation technique was developed to visualize the LCSA results. The results show that crude palm oil production requires more improvement to be a sustainable product. The study feasibly enables the decision-makers to understand the significant environmental, economic, and social hotspots during the crude palm oil production process in order to promote palm oil production.
Highlights
In Southeast Asia, some countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand have been considered as the major crude palm oil (CPO) producers in the world [1]
Carry out life cycle assessment (LCA) to determine the environmental impacts of crude palm oil production using the methodology based on [24,25]; Conduct life cycle costing (LCC) to determine the economic impacts applying the methodology proposed by the recent Code of Practice on LCC [26]; Perform social life cycle assessment (S-LCA) to assess the social impacts of utilizing the methodology based on the UNEP/SETAC Guidelines for S-LCA of products [27]; Determine Life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) by integrating LCA, LCC, and S-LCA using the scoring system method; Visualize the results to evaluate the level of crude palm oil sustainability; 6
For the carcinogens impact category, the results found that Cadmium, Arsenic, Chromium VI, and Particulates were the main carcinogens that were likely to be released into the air from the crude palm oil production
Summary
In Southeast Asia, some countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand have been considered as the major crude palm oil (CPO) producers in the world [1]. The crude palm oil industry has developed interestingly, producing a diversity of products such as food, cosmetics, biofuels, and other goods. As noted by [4], this industry reduces poverty and improves healthcare and education in rural areas. It is a significant industry for the social development and economic growth of Malaysia but this is an important role, the rapid growth of the industry has negative environmental, economic, and social impacts
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