Under the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB), Malaysia's palm oil industry has made significant progress in promoting environmental sustainability. The country has maintained over 50% of its land as rainforest, set greenhouse gas emission reduction targets, enhanced its Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification standard, adhered to international regulations, and pledged to plant one (1) million rainforest trees over the next decade. Despite these efforts, the industry faces challenges from misleading anti-palm oil campaigns and the use of "palm oil-free" labels, which can undermine the progress made towards sustainability. To counter this trend, it is crucial to enhance counter-attitudinal approaches, particularly among youth and teenagers. Previous studies that introduce initiatives such as My SPO box, Didik Sawit, and Edupalm have been implemented to educate and create awareness about the palm oil industry's commitment to sustainability. However, there is a pressing need for further efforts to provide the youth with a strong fundamental understanding of the complex realities surrounding the industry and its environmental impact. This study focuses on environmental sustainability in the palm oil industry due to the urgent need to counter misinformation and educate youth about the industry's sustainability efforts. Unlike previous initiatives, this research proposes a novel game-based learning approach through the development of an educational card game, "Sawit Saga". The study's novelty lies in its interdisciplinary integration of psychology, pedagogy, and communication to create an engaging, empirically-evaluated tool for palm oil sustainability education. By empirically evaluating the game's impact on knowledge and attitudes, this research aims to establish a new paradigm in sustainability education, specifically tailored to the complexities of the palm oil industry. Youth are selected as the unit of analysis due to their crucial role in shaping the future of the global oil palm industry. As the industry faces international scrutiny over sustainability issues. Educating youth is vital for fostering informed consumers and future decision-makers. Young people's growing environmental awareness makes them key targets for addressing misconceptions about palm oil sustainability. Their receptiveness to innovative learning methods like game-based approaches aligns well with the need for effective education on complex industry challenges. Moreover, youth engagement can create a multiplier effect, potentially shifting broader public perceptions of the oil palm industry's sustainability efforts. Game-based learning, a promising approach, can play a significant role in the palm oil industry's sustainable development, particularly among the younger generation. By leveraging the engaging and interactive nature of games, this approach can create immersive experiences that effectively convey information about the industry and its sustainability efforts. This hands-on approach promotes active learning, better retention, and comprehension of the information presented. By developing and testing innovative game-based learning tools, researchers can contribute to creating a more informed and balanced discourse on palm oil and its environmental impact, empowering the younger generation to make responsible decisions and better understand the industry.

Game-based learning can be approached through various methods, such as digital games, board games, role-playing games, and card games. Card games have emerged as a prominent approach due to their portability, affordability, and versatility in conveying educational content. Card games offer several advantages, including easy setup, quick gameplay, and the ability to facilitate social interaction and discussion among players. These characteristics make card games an ideal tool for the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) to incorporate into their educational strategies, as they can be easily implemented in classrooms, workshops, and outreach programs to effectively engage youth and promote a deeper understanding of the oil palm industry's commitment to environmental sustainability. Hence the proposed idea of “Sawit Saga” as novelty card game approach to achieve that. Image 1 at the end of this section depict the idea. The research objectives of this study are to identify the essential components of an educational card game about Malaysia's oil palm industry's environmental sustainability practices, develop an educational card game that effectively balances entertainment value with educational content about the oil palm industry's sustainability efforts, and assess the educational card game's impact on players' knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of the oil palm industry's commitment to environmental sustainability. The research methodology for this project will employ a mixed-method approach. The qualitative aspect of the study will involve conducting expert interviews to identify the essential components of an educational card game about the palm oil industry's sustainability efforts and to develop an effective game mechanism that balances entertainment value with educational content. These interviews will gather insights from professionals in education, game design, and sustainable palm oil production. The quantitative aspect of the research will focus on assessing the educational card game's impact on players' knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of the palm oil industry's commitment to environmental sustainability. This will be accomplished through pre- and post-game surveys and statistical analysis of the collected data. By employing this mixed-method approach, the project aims to prove the concept and develop a robust and effective educational tool. The aim is to promote a more informed and balanced understanding of the palm oil industry's sustainability efforts. The proposed research project on developing an educational card game about the palm oil industry's sustainability efforts has significant implications for promoting a more informed and balanced discourse on the complex relationship between palm oil production and environmental sustainability. By creating an engaging and informative tool that effectively communicates the industry's commitment to sustainable practices, this research can counter misleading anti-palm oil propaganda and foster a deeper understanding of the issue among youth. The output of this project, a well-designed educational card game, can serve as a valuable resource for the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) and other stakeholders in their efforts to educate and engage the younger generation. Ultimately, by empowering youth with accurate knowledge and critical thinking skills, this research can help ensure the long-term sustainability of the palm oil industry and its continued contribution to environmental preservation and socio-economic development.