Transparency or Map-Washing? Digital Geospatial Visualisation Tools in the Palm Oil Industry

We introduce the notion of map-washing and ask whether digital geospatial visualisation (DGV) tools distort information or provide greater supply chain transparency. Map-washing explains a process of disclosing spatial information that has little or no value to the intended users, but rather creates, conforms to or distorts a particular narrative. In the context of advancements in satellite technology, cloud-based geographic information systems and sophisticated web-based digital programming, we observe the rise of sophisticated web-based tools that offer geospatial visualisations of business activities. Firms across a broad range of agro-commodities are investing in DGV tools as part of efforts to achieve greater levels of transparency in their operations. The function of these tools, their intended audiences and the broader environmental and social outcomes remain unclear. Our research is based on a desk-based analysis of DGV tools employed across the palm oil industry, and interviews with informed stakeholders in the palm oil and related industries. From 97 companies assessed in the study, we identified 16 companies with active DGV tools. We found that companies employ a spectrum of geospatial visualisation tools that differ in the technologies used, data inputs, level of interactivity, type of collaborations and the outcomes and degree of stakeholder participation. We argue that the spatialisation of palm oil supply chains achieves a sophistication in corporate communication that is more difficult to achieve with traditional CSR reporting. Yet we also contend that the transformative power of these tools is open to debate, arguing that map-washing may deflect attention away from negative externalities. We propose guidelines and regulation as a means to enhance the positive contributions of DGV tools to sustainability and transparency.