Who should waste less? Food waste prevention and rebound effects in the context of theSustainable Development Goals

Abstract

The issue of food waste prevention plays a role in global and national policies. Such prevention can reap economic and, in particular, environmental benefits. As our study shows, these environmental benefits are often lost due to indirect rebound effects. Income differences play a crucial role here.Addressing food waste prevention is one target of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and a major task for the UN Environmental Programme and the European Commission. It is promising in terms of its environmental saving potential. However, it also leads to consumers being able to save money, which they then are likely to spend, thus again causing a negative environmental impact. This dimension of the so-called indirect rebound effect, which prevents the desired ecological benefits from being achieved, is investigated in this paper. By using a single-region environmentally extended input-output model from a production perspective, the indirect rebound effects from food waste prevention in Germany are analysed. Any political action needs to consider not only a differentiation in income class, but also alternative concepts such as the principles of sufficiency in order to achieve all ecological benefits and specifically the third target of SDG 12.

Challenges of Food Waste Governance: An Assessment of European Legislation on Food Waste and Recommendations for Improvement by Economic Instruments

“…Thus, besides the reduction of the aforementioned market intervention measures and the integration of specific measures to reduce food waste into the new CAP regulations, increased prices for food products in accordance with their environmental impact would raise the appreciation of food and thus also stimulate the avoidance of food waste. This also implies an abolishment of environmental harmful subsidies [14,77,81,86,112,113]. Additionally, food waste could be an incorporated indicator in the fitness-check assessment of the CAP (for a CAP fitness-check see [86]).…”

Consumer expectation and responses to environmental sustainability initiatives and their impact in foodservice operations: A systematic review

“…Food waste reduction was identified as a key issue in foodservices and the broader food system, with one-third of all food wasted, which equates to 1.3 billion tonnes per year globally. 5,7 Within the studies included in this review, numerous food waste reduction strategies were incorporated that were customised to suit individual foodservice establishments, albeit the majority being in a university setting. Although infrastructure and policies supporting or mandating waste management practices are generally a local/regional issue, all foodservice establishments can adopt waste management processes within the hierarchy of recycling and waste management.…”

“…This systematic review identified 33 studies that included a wide range of environmentally sustainable strategies. Food waste reduction was identified as a key issue in foodservices and the broader food system, with one‐third of all food wasted, which equates to 1.3 billion tonnes per year globally 5,7 . Within the studies included in this review, numerous food waste reduction strategies were incorporated that were customised to suit individual foodservice establishments, albeit the majority being in a university setting.…”

“…[3][4][5] The food system has a primary role in addressing global environmental changes, and activities across all sectors including sourcing/production through to food provision and the generation of food and other forms of waste all actively contribute. [5][6][7][8] Although feeding 10 billion people is reportedly possible within these planetary boundaries, it requires swift and significant leadership and transformation towards more sustainable production and consumption patterns. 5,9 Foodservice organisations are an essential component of environmentally sustainable changes to the food system.…”

“…‘Safe’ precautionary planetary boundaries for environmental change have been defined; however, extinction rate, deforestation, atmospheric carbon dioxide (an indicator for climate change), and the flow of nitrogen and phosphorus planetary boundaries have already been exceeded 3‐5 . The food system has a primary role in addressing global environmental changes, and activities across all sectors including sourcing/production through to food provision and the generation of food and other forms of waste all actively contribute 5‐8 . Although feeding 10 billion people is reportedly possible within these planetary boundaries, it requires swift and significant leadership and transformation towards more sustainable production and consumption patterns 5,9 …”