Food Waste Breakthrough

At COP30 in Belém, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and partners launched the Food Waste Breakthrough,  a global initiative aimed at halving food waste by 2030.

Why Food Waste Reduction Matters

• The world wastes over 1 billion tonnes of food every year.
• Food waste contributes up to:
  • 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions
  • 14% of methane emissions, a potent warming gas 84 times stronger than CO₂ over 20 years
• Economic impact: US$1 trillion annual financial losses.
• Cutting food waste is a high-impact, cost-effective strategy for Methane mitigation, Hunger reduction.

About the Food Waste Breakthrough

• A 2030 Climate Solution under the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action
• Brings together governments, cities, civil society, businesses, and communities
• Objective: Cut methane and ensure nutritious food doesn’t go to waste.
• Core Framework: The Breakthrough rests on three pillars:
  • Capacity Building & Advocacy
  • Data & Policy
  • Finance & Implementation
• Funding: The initiative is supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
• Targets and Action Roadmaps
  • National governments: Integrate food waste into NDCs, expand measurement and reporting, enable finance.
  • Cities and subnational governments: Organic waste separation, invest in circular infrastructure, embed waste prevention in procurement.
  • Philanthropic organizations: Funding innovation, research, and public-private collaboration.
  • Non-profits: Build capacity, provide advocacy and data support in Global South.
  • Food businesses: Measuring and reporting waste, redistributing surplus, and investing in circular and low-waste operations.

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About Global Environment Facility (GEF)

• Genesis: The Global Environment Facility was created in 1992, around the time of the Rio Earth Summit, to support global environmental cooperation.
• Nature: The GEF functions as a collaborative platform of 18 partner agencies that work together to address the world’s most pressing environmental challenges.
• Governance: The GEF Council serves as the primary governing body responsible for decision-making and strategic direction.
• Core Functions: The GEF acts as the financial mechanism for five major environmental conventions.
  • The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) (adopted in 1992 and entered into force in 1994)
  • The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) (adopted in 1994)
  • The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD) (entered into force in 1993)
  • The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) (adopted in 2001 and entered into force in 2004)
  • The Minamata Convention on Mercury (adopted in 2013 and entered into force in 2017)
• Membership: The GEF includes 186 member countries, including India.

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