WasteWatch Programme Reducing food waste by 50% through connected scales
To reduce food waste by 50% on operated food sites, Sodexo has put in place the WasteWatch programme.Thanks to connected scales, the data collection of food waste is made possible and enables the necessary operational & behavioural changes to occur.
Main project's drivers for reducing the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
Energy and resource efficiency
Energy Decarbonisation
Energy efficiency improvements
Improving efficiency in non-energy resources
Emissions absorption
Financing low-carbon producers or disinvestment from carbon assets
Reduction og other greenhouse gases emission
Project objectives
Reduce food waste by half on all food sites operated by Sodexo by 2025.
According to the United Nations’ Organisation for Food & Agriculture, around one third of the food produced for human consumption in the world is wasted. It is one of the greatest scandals of our time if we consider that 842 million people in the worlds are suffering from hunger. The environmental impact is also considerable : if food waste was a country, it would be the third biggest carbon emitter behing the United States & China.
Thanks to the WasteWatch programme and its smart technology of food waste measuring, Sodexo teams are able to easy collect the waste data in its restaurants and put in place the necessary operational & behavioural changes to eliminate waste generated in the kitchen or thrown away by consumers.
The innovative ingredient resides in the use of connected scales to measure waste on sites, but also the powerful analysis tool which enables the restitution of information and instant personalised recommendations.
The WasteWatch powered by LeanPath system reduces, on average, half of food waste. By using this programme, our teams on site can quickly & easily compute the waste data which helps better understand the waste reasons in the kitchen. Thanks to these new insights, the teams can easily put in place some actions to reduce waste and initiate the cultural & behavioural changes in order to eliminate avoidable food waste (whether coming from the kitchen or the consumer).
Thanks to these employees, suppliers, clients & consumers, Sodexo is committed to reducing by 50% this food waste which collectively affects us.
Emission scope(s)
on which the project has a significant impact
Scope 1
Direct emissions generated by the company's activity.
Scope 2
Indirect emissions associated with the company's electricity and heat consumption.
Scope 3
Emissions induced (upstream or downstream) by the company's activities, products and/or services in its value chain.
Emission Removal
Carbon sinks creation, (BECCS, CCU/S, …)
Avoided Emissions
Emissions avoided by the activities, products and/or services in charge of the project, or by the financing of emission reduction projects.
Scope 1 – Prevention and reduction of waste
- Quantification : -18,4 ktCO2eq/year
Since the beginning of the WasteWatch programme implementation back in 2019, Sodexo has registered a food waste reduction equivalent to 18,4 ktCO2/year, or equivalent to 4 901 968 meals per year.
Key points
Invested amount
Not quantified
Starting date of the project
2019
Project localisation
10 000 sites across 64 countries where Sodexo operates
Project maturity level
Prototype laboratory test (TRL 7)
Real life testing (TRL 7-8)
Pre-commercial prototype (TRL 9)
Small-scale implementation
Medium to large scale implementation
Economic profitability of the project (ROI)
Short term (0-3 years)
Middle term (4-10 years)
Long term (> 10 years)
Illustrations of the project
The WasteWatch programme mainly contributes to SDG 12 Responsible Production & Consumption.
It enables us to :
- Prevent & fight food waste
- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions
- Foster engagement of Sodexo employees, united through the climate issue of waste
- Raise awareness around climate issues for consumers and encourage them to change their consumption habits accordingly.
The Group has the ambition to deploy the programme on all food sites by 2025, which represents over 10 000 sites across 64 countries where Sodexo operates.
Sodexo is considering sharing its expertise on food waste prevention and reduction with other stakeholders in its ecosystem : namely its affiliates and merchants through the Benefits & Rewards activities.
As part of the WasteWatch programme, various partnerships were jointly deployed :
- LeanPath : the start-up supplying the technology
- The clients benefitting from the programme (schools, universities and company restaurants, institutions & agencies’ restaurants)
- External partners like the International Food Waste Coalition and the United Nations’ initiative 12.3 which supports this same Target / Measure / Act approach.
Contact the company carrying the project :
alina.cazacu@sodexo.com
