In a groundbreaking initiative, Stanford engineering student Kelly Redmond, MS ’23, is spearheading the development of a synthetic alternative to palm oil, aiming to address the environmental challenges associated with the palm oil industry. Redmond, a Stanford Impact Founder and Ecopreneurship Fellow, is driven by a vision to create a product that works for both people and the planet.
Palm oil, a widely-used ingredient in various products, has long been associated with deforestation and environmental degradation. Redmond, however, refrains from rejecting the commodity outright and instead proposes a solution that tackles the systemic problems within the industry. Recognizing the difficulty in avoiding palm oil due to its prevalence in everyday products, Redmond aims to create an environmentally sustainable alternative.
Teaming up with her co-founder Gabriella Dweck, Redmond is developing a synthetic alternative by repurposing palm fronds, a byproduct discarded by the palm oil industry. The goal is to create a product that not only reduces waste and carbon emissions but also contributes to local economies through decentralized, artisanal production processes.
Redmond’s extensive background, including five years as an environmental engineer in the U.S. Army, equipped her with insights into the global impact of climate change and resource constraints. This experience, coupled with her dedication to finding real-world solutions, led her to Stanford, where she met her co-founder and embarked on a mission to address social and environmental issues.
Redmond’s company, Oleo Sustainable Palm Oil Solutions, focuses on utilizing agricultural waste from traditional palm oil production, specifically palm fronds. Through a low-cost pretreatment process based on microwave technology, they aim to create a synthetic oil alternative with enhanced efficiency and reduced waste.
Initially targeting the personal care products industry, Oleo aims to offer greater traceability through artisanal batch-level production, appealing to companies with sustainability goals. Looking ahead, Redmond envisions entering the biofuel market, acknowledging the substantial share of palm oil used in biodiesel.
Crucially, Redmond and her co-founder are developing a production process that involves local smallholders, historically marginalized from the palm oil industry. This decentralized approach allows smaller batches of synthetic oil to be produced on local farms, complementing sustainable agricultural practices and improving livelihoods for communities in palm oil-producing regions.
Redmond emphasizes that Oleo’s commitment to ensuring economic benefits for smallholders sets it apart from other initiatives. With support from the TomKat Center for Sustainable Energy, Oleo is conducting a technical feasibility assessment and developing a minimum viable prototype.
Despite acknowledging the challenges of starting a new venture, Redmond remains focused on the potential for Oleo to create a profitable business while addressing global social and environmental issues. Redmond sees an opportunity to leverage Oleo’s efforts to pull the lever for sustainability in the palm oil industry and unlock its full potential as a socially and environmentally sustainable product.
