The Palm Pod

Episode 13 - It Takes a Village: How Chester Became the World’s First Sustainable Palm Oil City — with Chester Zoo

Episode 13

Chester is a historic city in North West England, the United Kingdom, which has earned the title as the World’s first Sustainable Palm Oil City. This pioneering project was led by Chester Zoo to drive awareness, collaboration, and real change in how communities engage with sustainable palm oil.

In this episode, we explore this fascinating story of a city coming together—uniting schools, restaurants, hotels, cafés, and the local government—to ensure the palm oil in everyday products comes from certified sustainable sources. The hospitality industry, at the heart of food culture and tourism, has played a pivotal role in making sustainable choices accessible to the public.

Listen in as host Fara Rom speaks with Catherine Barton, Policy Lead for Deforestation-Free Commodities at Chester Zoo, as she shares the story behind this trailblazing movement. 

Join us as we take a closer look at the Sustainable Palm Oil City model, the crucial role of the hospitality sector, and the lessons we can learn from Chester for scaling sustainability globally.

This is a great story of how local action can spark global change for palm oil sustainability.

Learn more about sustainable palm oil at www.rspo.org.

*The views and opinions expressed on The Palm Pod are solely those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect those of The Palm Pod or the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).