In 2015, the United Nations (UN) established Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 (SDG 12.3), a charge that calls for reducing food loss and waste by 50% by 2030. Since then, businesses, policymakers, funders, researchers, and more across the globe have marshaled resources to try to drive the progress needed to achieve this goal. But what progress has been made? And perhaps more importantly, how was it made?

A global plan to address food waste has yet to materialize, but reports and analyses point to several key action steps that countries leading the charge have taken. Data measurement, collaboration, and policy are some of the key levers achieving the most meaningful results to reduce food waste. And as nations meet in Azerbaijan over the next week at COP29, we’re exploring those three areas, highlighting what the United States and other countries have done, and speculating on what might be ahead when it comes to meeting SDG 12.3.

Data Measurement

Data collection, analysis, and reporting are all crucial to reducing food waste. While some countries have established baseline metrics, only a small number have data robust enough to make accurate conclusions about food waste reduction. According to the UN Environment Programme’s Food Waste Index Report 2024, only Australia, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union have established baseline data, with Brazil close behind in establishing their own.

• In the United Kingdom—which by many estimates has led the global charge to fight food waste—comprehensive data measurement has led to some exciting results. From 2007 to 2018, the UK reduced edible food waste by 27% and household food waste by 31%.

• In Japan, the Ministry of the Environment has reported that edible food loss and waste has steadily declined since data tracking began in 2012, decreasing by 18.5% in a nine-year period.

• In the United States, ReFED has been collecting and aggregating national food waste data for several years. The latest estimates indicate that surplus food increased by slightly less than 1% from 2022 to 2023. Part of ReFED’s work is modeling solutions to food waste that span three key strategies—prevention, rescue, and recycling. Though prevention is the most ideal strategy, implementing all modeled solutions would reduce food waste by 27%.

Data collection and reporting have a long way to go, but even the few national baselines that exist provide critical information on the progress achieved on a global scale.

Collaboration

Collaborative efforts can take multiple forms, the diversity of which is beneficial to achieving results. In these commitments or agreements, various stakeholders—be they nonprofits, for-profits, or government agencies—come together and maximize efforts and resources to make progress toward food waste reduction goals. Across the globe, there are several public-private partnerships and voluntary agreements that address food loss and waste regionally and nationally through the “Target, Measure, Act” framework.

• In South Africa, the South African Food Loss and Waste Initiative, a voluntary agreement that calls upon food system actors to commit to reducing food waste, works with a number of government agencies to collect data, divert food from landfill, and research solutions.

• In Mexico, voluntary agreement Pacto por la Comida brings businesses, government agencies, academics, nonprofits, and consumers together to drive the adoption of a more sustainable food recovery hierarchy to reduce food waste and address food insecurity.

• In Australia, over 100 organizations partner with the Australian Food PACT and its signatories to contribute to a growing body of food waste research and promote a circular economy. As of 2023, their efforts are projected to reduce food waste by 28% by 2033.

• In the United States, the Pacific Coast Food Waste Commitment (PCFWC)—a regional partnership on the West Coast—works with local jurisdictions and regional food businesses on piloting intervention projects, reporting and measuring data, and convening stakeholders in a pre-competitive environment. Through 2022, PCFWC retailers reported a 25% decrease in tons of unsold food. The regional success of the PCFWC has led to a national voluntary agreement for the entire country, the U.S. Food Waste Pact.

This list of voluntary agreements is not exhaustive, and as food waste reduction becomes a more widely known mitigation measure against climate change, food insecurity, and supply chain strain, it’s likely that more of these partnerships will emerge.

Policy

Across the globe, policy has impacted the efficacy and efficiency of a number of food waste initiatives. Countries and regions have employed a variety of legislative mechanisms—from taxes to fines to mandates—to raise public awareness about food waste reduction through meaningful laws.

• In China, 2021’s Anti-Food Waste Law requires all sectors to identify food waste reduction targets, collect and measure data, implement food waste reduction efforts, and report progress on an annual basis. The law also addresses food’s nutritional value and the country’s supply chain sustainability.

• In South Korea, consumers have had to pay a small tax on food waste since 2005. A recent study found that the tax influences consumer behavior to reduce food waste by 20% on an annual basis.

• In France, a 2016 law forbids retailers from destroying unsold food products. The law bans large grocery stores from sending food to landfill by redirecting surplus food to food recovery organizations.

• In the United States, California’s SB1383 recycling law has successfully diverted 242 million meals worth of unsold food to food recovery organizations since implementation in 2022. Massachusetts has also seen success, among others.

Recent national strategies in South Africa, the United States, Brazil, and Chile—all at various stages of implementation—suggest that global policy will only continue to proliferate, solidifying this lever of action as a worthy one for nations to pursue.

What It Means

So has there been progress? The short answer is yes. But while there have been pockets of progress, the work has just begun. As 2030 approaches, so does the deadline to achieve SDG 12.3. Expanding on data measurement efforts, building more collaborative networks, raising awareness of the issue, and driving meaningful policy will help expedite progress to that goal, and perhaps one day go beyond it. In addition, we’re starting to see innovative solutions become widely adopted, including waste tracking, enhanced demand planning, field cooling units, and markdown alert applications—and the more these solutions are used at scale, the more progress we can expect to see. Continuing and accelerating this work is our best chance at making good on the commitment.