Food Waste Intelligence

Leaders from all over the world are gathering in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, at COP27, the biggest climate event of the year. This event has critical implications for the pace and scale of necessary climate change efforts.

For the first time, food is central on the COP27 agenda, and Leanpath's VP of Sustainability & Public Affairs Steven Finn is attending and taking part in panel discussions on the topic.

A new international food waste pledge, the 123 Pledge, will also be announced at COP27. Leanpath has already signed on, committing to work with our client partners to prevent an amount of food waste equivalent to 50 million meals by the end of 2025.

COP27 arrives at a critically important time.  We are now well into the Decade of Action for the UN's  Sustainable Development Goals, yet the world is well off track in meeting them by 2030.  

COP27 is an opportunity for thousands of leaders from around the world to address the climate challenge on multiple levels – with a focus on collaboration, leadership, commitment, and most importantly, accelerating action.  

Since the food system accounts for more than one third of global greenhouse gas emissions, it makes sense that it is part of the conversation.

The world has a well-known goal, Target 12.3, to cut food waste in half by 2030 and reduce losses along supply chains, but we need to accelerate action to meet that goal.   

COP27 can help.

With the theme of accelerating #actiononfood for people and planet, COP27’s Food Systems Pavilion will “focus on actions, strategies, and solutions across the entire food value chain that have the potential to drive the transformation towards healthier, more resilient, and more equitable food systems.”

That theme of transformational action is a core point of focus for Leanpath.

Our VP of Sustainability & Public Affairs Steven Finn will be at COP27, engaging in events at the Food Systems Pavilion and collaborating with colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania, the Future Food Institute, and others on panel discussions focused on sustainably feeding the planet and climate-smart agriculture.

Steve will be looking to support and amplify the need for leadership, commitment, and action to achieve the needed transformational food system change to rein in emissions and drive progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals. 

He will also be looking to communicate the critical linkage between food systems and climate change, the nexus aspect of food waste, and the importance of rapidly scaling action on food waste prevention (which Project Drawdown ranks as a top solution to address climate change). 

The new 123 Pledge is being launched by Champions 12.3, the group leading global efforts toward Target 12.3. In concert with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the group will seek to generate at least 123 pledges and time-bound action commitments from organizations and individuals across five impact areas to halve food waste and reduce food losses by at least 25% by 2025.

The Leanpath team is excited to join the 123 Pledge, which is entirely consistent with our vision of ensuring a sustainable future for all by eliminating global food waste, and specifically aligned with our mission of making food waste prevention everyday practice in the world’s kitchens. We have committed to work with our client partners to prevent an amount of food waste equivalent to 50 million meals by the end of 2025. 

We look forward to working with our colleagues to support and drive the connection between food systems and climate change at COP27.

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