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 for Food Waste Reduction in the Tourism Sector is to accelerate the uptake of food waste reduction strategies by tourism stakeholders. The Roadmap aims to raise awareness among tourism stakeholders of the opportunities deriving from a more sustainable and circular management of food, with special emphasis on reducing food waste as a cost-effective and environmentally responsible strategy. 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 global food waste by 2030. It provides an action framework to accelerate food waste reduction in tourism sharing practical insights and guidance for the sector, with a particular focus on supporting accommodation providers and cruise lines to scale up impacts.

“By 2030, halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses.”

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.

Read the full GLOBAL ROADMAP FOR FOOD WASTE REDUCTION IN THE TOURISM SECTOR

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.