Food ≠ waste. A sustainability assessment of circular strategies managing food waste in the food-service sector of Amsterdam.

Abstract

Our current food system is one of the main drivers of global climate change. While still many communities remain without adequate supply of food, roughly a third of all food is wasted before it reaches the final consumer. The food-service sector is responsible for a significant share of this waste. There are many options to manage this waste through circular strategies. However, the sustainability implications of circular strategies remain unclear. The aim of this research is to identify the sustainability implications of circular strategies through a comparative case study analysis in the food-service sector. First a material flow analysis was conducted at two food-service sector organizations located in Amsterdam. Thereafter, the material flows of both cases were reviewed within four group interviews with 39 food-service sector practitioners and stakeholders ranking their most preferred circular strategy using Q-methodology. Subsequently, the implications of these preferred strategies were analyzed using Sustainable Development Goal indicators. Finally, the implications of the current situation were compared with the circular strategies to reveal the sustainability implications. It was found that between 29% and 46% of the weight of food never reaches the final consumer. The most preferred circular strategy was stimulating behavioral change for circularity among managers and employees. The results indicate that circular food waste management strategies improve decent work and economic growth (SDG 8) by reducing costs, sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11) through less traffic for waste management, sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12) by reducing food waste and climate action (SDG 13) through prevention of CO2-eq emissions. More research is needed to identify the current possible barriers to behavioral change towards more circular practices. If these barriers are to overcome, addressing food waste through circular strategies can be a significant contribution in reaching multiple Sustainable Development Goals.