Global Roadmap for Food Waste Reduction in the Tourism Sector
A consistent framework for Tourism stakeholders to embrace the sustainable management of food so that it never becomes waste
“Action on food waste must be a top priority for the tourism sector. The Roadmap provides the framework within which tourism organizations can play their part whilst bringing benefits to their own operations, guests, the environment, and the sector as a whole.”
Zurab Pololikashvili,
UNWTO Secretary-General
UNWTO within the framework of the One Planet Sustainable Tourism Programme has developed the Global Roadmap for Food Waste Reduction in the Tourism Sector. The objective of the Global Roadmap is to raise awareness among tourism stakeholders of the opportunities deriving from a more sustainable and circular management of food, with special emphasis on addressing food waste. The Roadmap sets out how the tourism sector can contribute to the achievement of target 12.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aims at halving food waste globally by 2030. The Roadmap provides an action framework to accelerate food waste reduction in tourism, sharing practical insights and guidance for the sector with a particular focus on accommodation providers and cruise lines to scale up impacts.
Rooted in the food waste (and drink) hierarchy, the Roadmap proposes prevention of food waste as the primary strategy to avoid food surplus and waste being generated in the first place. In a second instance, food surplus needs to be redistributed to people, followed by animal feed or biochemical processing. Thirdly, food needs to be circulated, through recycling and recovery, prior to disposal.
The Roadmap encourages and provides recommendations for tourism stakeholders to:
By proposing a consistent framework based on prevention, redistribution and circulation, the Roadmap aims to scale up action on food waste reduction in tourism
- Target: Set the ambition by identifying a food waste reduction target;
- Measure: Measure in a consistent way to be able to track progress;
- Act: Take action to reduce their own food waste, work in partnership with suppliers and help guests reduce their food waste; and
- Report: Disclose progress, showcase successes, share learnings and challenges with other stakeholders to trigger changes at scale.
The Roadmap builds on the UNWTO Recommendations for the Transition to a Green Travel and Tourism Economy. It also supports the transition towards sustainable gastronomy, building on the Guidelines for the Development of Gastronomy Tourism released by UNWTO and the Basque Culinary Center. In addition, it supports the implementation of the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism by stressing the importance of reducing GHG emissions associated with food waste.
