The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) through the WAZA Palm Oil Subcommittee and its member institutions Cheyenne Mountain Zoo representing the United States (US) and Canada, Chester Zoo representing the United Kingdom (UK) and Auckland Zoo representing Australia and New Zealand, is proud to announce the launch of PalmOil Scan.

This mobile app is a key initiative in explaining why zoos and aquariums must care about Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO) while also empowering consumers to make sustainable decisions. The app allows users to scan a product’s barcode and learn whether or not the company that makes that product is committed to sourcing CSPO. 

Major corporations are rated on a scale as either ‘No Commitment’ to CSPO, ‘Poor’, ‘Good’, or ‘Excellent’. This is a tool that highlights the impact of consumers’ choices and how they may support sustainable palm oil through their decisions. App users are also able to use a Keyword Search to find products based on key descriptor words and can contact Administrators with any question about a company.

PalmOil Scan is currently available in the US, Canada and the UK, with more countries being added later in the year as increasing numbers of zoos and aquariums join as app administrators. WAZA members can be app administrators with Cheyenne Mountain Zoo currently acting as such for the US and Canada, and Chester Zoo as the app administrator for the UK. The administrators monitor the sourcing commitments for companies sourcing palm oil and operating in their regions.

The launch of this tool is the latest contribution of WAZA as part of its effort on promoting the use of sustainable palm oil among its members. WAZA and the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2017 to establish a framework to further their shared goals and objectives. WAZA also published a Short Guide and a resources website to help members turn to CSPO.

The new PalmOil Scan app is now available to download from the App Store and Google Play Store.