We were commissioned to undertake the first stages of our research and development process, to explore what drives domestic food waste and how it contributes to households’ carbon footprints.

Need

Every year in the UK, we throw away almost 20% of the food we buy. Of the food and drink that is wasted, over half of it is generated in the home, and of this, 60% (by weight) is deemed ‘avoidable’, as it could have been eaten at some point prior to throwing away.

Food waste is a major contribution to the domestic carbon footprint. For an average household emissions associated with food represent around 14% of the total, making it the largest single contributor– greater than either electricity or gas alone. Food waste has an unusually high potential for improvement, as a high percentage of its waste is avoidable, and research suggests there is a greater appetite and ability for personal behaviour change around food waste compared to other domestic energy saving activities.

Progress to date

We produced an Insights Report which analysed key target audiences, understanding the myriad of pressures and causes that result in food waste behaviours, exploring existing motivations to reduce food waste and identifying general user needs and desires that can be harnessed to engage a large audience in food waste prevention initiatives.

In addition, we undertook a survey of existing consumer products and services which reduce food waste, which was organised by the six stages in the domestic food cycle.