There is a broad consensus in literature that private households are significant contributors to the total amount of food waste in the EU. Thus, any strategy to meaningfully combat food wastage must put the end consumer in the center of prevention activities. This requires deeper insights into people's motivations to discard still edible food and knowledge about potential barriers to reduce wasting. This paper reports on results of an online survey among two European research centers in Italy (JRC/Ispra) and Germany (KIT/Karlsruhe). The focus of the survey was on households' behaviors (shopping, eating, and food preparation habits) and its influence on the generation of food waste. Furthermore, reasons for the disposal of food as well as measures and technologies most needed to prevent wastage were discussed. The results of the survey are analyzed, especially with regard to two questions: (1) Are there considerable differences between Ispra and Karlsruhe? (2) Are there considerable similarities or inconsistencies with the results of previous studies?

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The reduction of food waste is seen as an important societal issue with considerable ethical, ecological and economic implications. The European Commission aims at cutting down food waste to one-half by 2020. However, implementing effective prevention measures requires knowledge of the reasons and the scale of food waste generation along the food supply chain. The available data basis for Europe is very heterogeneous and doubts about its reliability are legitimate. This mini-review gives an overview of available data on food waste generation in EU-27 and discusses their reliability against the results of own model calculations. These calculations are based on a methodology developed on behalf of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and provide data on food waste generation for each of the EU-27 member states, broken down to the individual stages of the food chain and differentiated by product groups. The analysis shows that the results differ significantly, depending on the data sources chosen and the assumptions made. Further research is much needed in order to improve the data stock, which builds the basis for the monitoring and management of food waste.

Abstract:In view of the increasing depletion of fossil fuel resources, the concept "bioeconomy" aims at the gradual replacement of fossil fuels by renewable feedstock. Seen as a comprehensive societal transition, the bioeconomy is a complex field that includes a variety of sectors, actors, and interests and is related to far-reaching changes in today's production systems. While the objectives pursued-such as reducing dependence on fossil fuels, mitigating climate change, ensuring global food security, and increasing the industrial use of biogenic resources-are not generally contentious, there is fierce controversy over the possible pathways for achieving these objectives. Based on a thorough literature review, the article identifies major lines of conflict in the current discourse. Criticism of the prevalent concept refers mainly to the strong focus on technology, the lack of consideration given to alternative implementation pathways, the insufficient differentiation of underlying sustainability requirements, and the inadequate participation of societal stakeholders. Since today it cannot be predicted which pathway will be the most expedient-the one already being taken or one of the others proposed-this paper suggests pursuing a strategy of diversity concerning the approaches to shape the bioeconomy, the funding of research topics, and the involvement of stakeholders.

Background: Short rotation coppices (SRC) offer a chance to enhance sustainable biomass production and to enlarge domestic wood resources. On arable land, SRC are less competitive in many regions compared to cropping systems and thus farmers are interested to establish SRC on grassland. This change of land use is discussed controversially because of the associated effects on the carbon-sequestering ecosystem grassland. In this paper, land use changes will be analyzed in reference to sustainability objectives, including aspects of land use competition with food and energy production or the preservation of biodiversity. Methods: The Integrative Sustainability Concept has been adapted and applied to identify the relevant sustainability objectives using a holistic approach in order to assess the potential for the change in sustainable land use towards an expanded supply of lignocellulose-based bioenergy. Results: A set of sustainability criteria with a special focus on the change in land use from grassland to SRC has been developed and discussed. For selected criteria, adequate sustainability indicators have been chosen and applied to a case study of the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg in Germany. The indicators have been implemented by performing a spatial differentiated bottom-up assessment using GIS-based data. The results revealed that around 13% of the grassland could be converted into SRC without harming the considered sustainability criteria. Conclusions: The exploitation of the assessed potential for the change in sustainable land use from grassland to SRC could contribute to decentralize renewable energy supply, local employment and income. With regard to the economic values otherwise lost-, it is recommended not to set grassland conservation as an area-wide imperative. Instead strategies to direct the establishment of SRC to the most suitable areas and technologies should be developed realizing that land use transformation will be performed in a minimal invasive way to ensure compliance with the environment and climate protection.