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Reduced Food Waste

Reducing food waste is the NUMBER ONE recommended climate solution from Project Drawdown.

The total emissions from the food system rise to ~34% when considering emissions associated with food waste rotting in landfills plus cooking, refrigerating, processing, transporting, and packaging food. That makes food the single largest emitting economic sector – larger than power generation, industry, transportation, or buildings.

Food waste illustration

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Join the discussion in the #learn-food-waste channel on the Work on Climate Slack

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View open jobs in Reduced Food Waste​

Example Companies:​

  • Mill - Consumer food dehydrator and accompanying processing service to reclaim residential food waste as chicken feed.
  • Afresh - Uses AI to reduce food waste and increase profits in the fresh food supply chain.
  • Apeel Sciences - Develops plant-derived shelf life extension technology to reduce food waste.

Overview​

Book IconGreat Resources
  • Globally, about one-third of all food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted, amounting to approximately 1.3 billion tonnes per year (FAO).
  • Food waste contributes to roughly 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2021).
  • In the United States alone, families discard food worth about $1,500 annually (Natural Resources Defense Council).

Environmental Impact​

  • If food waste were a country, it would be the third-largest greenhouse gas emitter after China and the United States (FAO).
  • Food waste in landfills produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas with 25 times the global warming potential of CO2 (EPA).
  • Wasted food also represents a significant loss of water, land, and energy resources used in production.

Drawdown food waste chart

Solutions by Sector​

Critical Goal

The biggest benchmark from Speed & Scale

Cut food waste down from 38% to 10% by 2050

Use their news tracking tool to track progress

Production​

  • Improved harvesting techniques
  • Better storage and preservation methods
  • AI-driven demand forecasting

Distribution​

  • Optimized supply chain management
  • Cold chain improvements
  • Packaging innovations

Consumption​

  • Consumer education campaigns
  • Date labeling standardization
  • Portion control in food service

Innovative Technologies and Companies​

  1. AI-Powered Inventory Management: Afresh uses AI prediction for supermarkets to accurately order and manage fresh food.

  2. Upcycling Food Waste: Corumat turns food waste into biodegradable packaging.

  3. Food Rescue and Redistribution: Imperfect Foods delivers less attractive but perfectly edible produce to consumers.

  4. Home Composting Solutions: Mill offers a special household compost bin that turns food waste into livestock feed.

  5. Waste-to-Energy: Generate Upcycle uses anaerobic digestion to convert food waste into renewable energy and organic fertilizers.

Company Profile - Too Good to Go

Company Profile - Too Good to Go

List and sell unsold food in “Surprise Bags” through an app for...

Company Profile - Winnow

Company Profile - Winnow

Reducing food waste in commercial kitchens

Case Studies:

  • ISS: How an ISS Guckenheimer Facility Reduces Food Waste by 50%
  • Chartwells: How Chartwells and St Faith's School reduced waste by 58%
  • Swissôtel: How Swissôtel Clark Philippines used AI to cut food waste by 67%**

Additional Case Studies​

  1. South Korea's Food Waste Reduction: Implemented a pay-as-you-throw system, reducing food waste by 10% in its first year (World Economic Forum).

  2. IKEA's Food Waste Initiative: Reduced food waste in its restaurants by 54% in one year through staff training and customer engagement (IKEA Sustainability Report FY18).

Policy Measures and Regulations​

  1. France's law prohibiting supermarkets from throwing away unsold food
  2. EU's Farm to Fork Strategy targeting food waste reduction
  3. US Food Date Labeling Act to standardize expiration dates

Economic Benefits​

  • Potential global savings of $700 billion per year by reducing food waste (BCG).
  • Job creation in food recovery, recycling, and upcycling sectors.
  • Reduced costs for businesses in the food industry.

Challenges and Best Path Forward​

Challenges​

  • Lack of awareness and education
  • Inadequate infrastructure for food recovery and recycling
  • Complex supply chains and logistical challenges

Best Path Forward​

  1. Increase public awareness through education campaigns.
  2. Implement supportive policies and financial incentives.
  3. Invest in research and development of waste-reduction technologies.
  4. Improve infrastructure for food recovery, recycling, and composting.
  5. Foster collaboration between government, businesses, and consumers.

Resources and Further Reading​

Image credit: Reducing Food Waste (BooneHealth)

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