A Roadmap to Reduce U.S. Food Waste by 20 Percent

The magnitude of the food waste problem is difficult to comprehend. The U.S. spends $218 billion a year -- 1.3% of GDP -- growing, processing, transporting, and disposing of food that is never eaten. The causes of food waste are diverse, ranging from crops that never get harvested, to food left on overfilled plates, to near-expired milk and stale bread. ReFED is a coalition of over 30 business, nonprofit, foundation, and government leaders committed to building a different future, where food waste prevention, recovery, and recycling are recognized as an untapped opportunity to create jobs, alleviate hunger, and protect the environment -- all while stimulating a new multi-billion dollar market opportunity. ReFED developed A Roadmap to Reduce U.S. Food Waste as a data-driven guide to collectively take action to reduce food waste at scale nationwide.This Roadmap report is a guide and a call to action for us to work together to solve this problem. Businesses can save money for themselves and their customers. Policymakers can unleash a new wave of local job creation. Foundations can take a major step in addressing environmental issues and hunger. And innovators across all sectors can launch new products, services, and business models. There will be no losers, only winners, as food finds its way to its highest and best use

Fashion\u27s Destruction of Unsold Goods: Responsible Solutions for an Environmentally Conscious Future

Over the past two years, headlines of fast-fashion and luxury brands burning their merchandise have flooded media outlets. While this came as a shock to the general public, it has actually been a standard industry practice for decades. As societal norms are leaning more towards environmentally conscious practices, destroying unsold products is no longer viewed as an acceptable option. Brands are facing increased scrutiny related to their environmental impact—such as the amount of textile waste that ends up in a landfill—and how they address the issue. While the media have criticized brands for these practices, they have not suggested long-term solutions to resolve the problem. Brands are left in the dark without a road map showing them how to modernize their systems. Furthermore, when governments introduce new bills focused on textile waste, brands experience added pressure. France is in the process of requiring brands to recycle or reuse their unsold goods by January 2020. However, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for any brand or country: what may work for a fast-fashion brand will not necessarily work for a luxury brand. In the same vein, what may work for France may not work for the United States. This Note explores a number of potential solutions to this problem which range from legal solutions, to reusing, manufacturing, technological, and crisis management solutions. Brands must start to address this issue within their supply chain in a thorough and transparent manner, as this is not a fleeting trend

All you have to do is ask: Innovation and value creation in the post-consumer apparel industry

This study aims to explore the development of a self-motivated (e.g. not policy or regulation initiated) closed-loop, clothing take-back program within a large sized enterprise in the fashion/apparel industry. From the perspective of a single case study – that of the Eileen Fisher Renew program – this thesis aims to explore, outline and describe EF Renew’s business model. The ultimate goal is to discover how it is creating value both inside and outside of the company, and detail the insights from key stakeholders for other industry actors to learn from. Data collection is conducted with 10 semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders from both within and outside of the company. In order to investigate this program from a holistic perspective, data is analysed in a two-tiered approach – from the perspective of Osterwalder’s Business Model Canvas, and with a mapping of Eileen Fisher Renew’s reverse supply chain. Eileen Fisher Renew has developed a vertically integrated clothing take back program that is successfully circulating garments at their highest quality for as long as possible with the development of multiple product lines. Findings show that, in accordance with much of the previous research, the development of this program has resulted in the acquisition of new customers, increased customer loyalty and engagement, and the generation of economic, environmental, social, customer, and informational value. Certain company characteristics were also identified that are likely enabling the program to become as holistic and comprehensive as it is. These characteristics are: being a values driven company; privately held and 40% company owned; primarily operating in a single market; a committed learning organisation; and the creation of timeless and trendless designs that are crafted out of high-quality materials

Circular economy : European plan to a circular economy future in sports industry

Treballs Finals del Màster en Direcció d'Empreses de l'Esport, Facultat d'Economia i Empresa, Universitat de Barcelona. Curs: 2021-2022. Tutor: Aparicio Chueca, Maria Pilarhe development of the world economy was based on its linear organization. Businesses derive the resources they need from the environment, turn them into goods and after the use by the consumers, the goods are disposed into the environment, creating wastes and pollution. That way of organizing the economy is not sustainable for businesses, consumers and the environment. An alternative way of organizing is the circular economy. Which means the creation of a closed system, based on the cycles of nature, with limited use of natural resources. In essence, the whole system works by recycling resources within the economic system, by fueling energy needs from renewable energy sources and by technological development so that the product are design to last longer and are easier to reuse or repair. In the last decade, from 2010-2020, the circular economy has developed quite a bit mainly in Europe, as the European Union promotes the circular economy through directives to the state members in order to achieve its environmental goals by 2030. Similarly, private initiatives and investments in all priority sectors of the circular economy have increased. More and more states, individuals, businesses and organizations are realizing the need for a transition to a circular economy so that the future is sustainable on a planet that can feed an ever-growing population. This paper first analyzes the concept of the circular economy, the positive effects it will have on the environment, the state, businesses and consumers, the pillars on which it must be developed, but also the problems that must be overcome in order to be making circular business and economics easier to achieve. After that, the programs announced by the European Union in recent years with the areas in which it focuses, as well as the fairly recent Greek national action plan, are being inspected. The second chapter examines the areas of action that both the European Union and Greece have set as target areas for the immediate implementation of measures for the transition to a circular economy. As well as some business cases of the circular economy in the olympic games. Alongside various successful and innovative business ideas are presented that have managed to benefit from the circular economy, both abroad and in Greece. Finally, the sources of funding in Greece and the European Union for entrepreneurs looking for a way to cover high initial investments are presented

The Impact of Sustainability as a New Trend in the Fashion Industry

Problem definition Sustainability in fashion is one of tomorrow’s most important focuses but is not yet fully established in the industry, neither from the side of the business nor the customer. Customers’ statements tend to show an interest of sustainable fashion, but it is not quite so visible in the sales shares related to sustainable fashion products, which in turn can make sustainable fashion seen as a risky investment. Several studies show that sustainable fashion is although becoming a central focus on future customer demands. Purpose The purpose of this thesis was to describe and analyse the use, value and application of the concept of sustainability in the fashion industry. Methodology As the purpose was to describe the concept of sustainability in the whole fashion industry, the methodology was chosen thereafter as to cover as many perspectives as accurately possible. First the concept was defined out of existing literature where a theoretical framework of the supply chain was formed and later applied on the case companies in the empirical findings. A website analysis together with mystery shopping of the case companies gave insights on externally shared communications and values, customer surveys were carried out as to get into the mind of the customer and interviews with sustainability experts provided a better understanding of the concept of sustainability related to the concerned brand and what new technologies and industry associations can do for brands wanting to achieve a sustainable status. Conclusions Sustainability is a complex concept defined in multiple ways but requires a united definition for the future, preferably authorised by a higher association like the EU. Different area of focus of sustainability among brands in the fashion industry depends on core iv brand values and objectives. There is an attitude-behaviour gap among customers due to lack of knowledge, it being a sensitive area of research and since it is not perceived as stylish. To diminish the gap, educating clients and training sales associates are concerned as vital and the needs to target are durability, quality, style and fair pricing. Brands also need to declare transparent and honest supply chain operations and to find innovative and trustful ways of offering sustainable value to its customers

Plastics Policy Playbook: Strategies for a Plastic-Free Ocean

Ocean plastic is an urgent, global challenge. If we fail to act, over 250 million tons of plastic will be circulating our ocean by 2025, with widespread environmental, social and economic implications. The quantity of plastic in the ocean is a symptom of a larger issue that is tied to our linear economic system to take, make and waste. We produce more than 350 million tons of plastic each year, and while many of these plastics offer meaningful benefits to society, an estimated 40% of plastic is used just once and discarded. Without action, the global production of plastic is expected to double in the next ten years. This level of production and consumption has resulted in solid waste management systems that are unable to effectively collect, recycle and dispose of the growing quantity of plastic. Its presence in the ocean is the result. The legacy of ocean plastic will likely exist for hundreds, if not thousands, of years, and its long-term impact on our planet remains uncertain. What is certain, however, is that the more plastic that ends up in the ocean, the greater the negative impacts will be. The time to act is now

Sustainable, Operations-enabled Solutions for Reducing Product Waste

The traditional linear production system where products are created, used, and then disposed of is no longer a viable business model for many firms. A combination of growing populations, increases in consumerism, and urbanization are placing unprecedented pressures on our world’s natural resources. In addition to these motivations, strong demands from consumers and governments are requiring companies to reevaluate and prioritize their environmental strategies. Fortunately, there are several opportunities for firms to engage in more sustainable business practices throughout their entire supply chain, particularly at the end of their products’ useful lives. However, moving from a linear model to a more closed-loop production system where products are recovered and reused brings a host of operational challenges, some of which remain unaddressed by the current literature. In this dissertation, we examine a series of common, operations-related issues firms and government agencies face when pursuing sustainable waste management practices. In the first essay, we evaluate noted barriers operations managers face when entering the market for refurbished products. In the second study, we analyze the effectiveness of environmental legislation and consumer education efforts in promoting product reuse and recycling. In the last essay, we develop a robust consumer returns forecasting model to aid operations managers in their inventory, reverse logistics, and return recovery decisions. In addition to academic contributions, the results from these studies offer practitioners guidance needed to facilitate the transition to more circular production models and increase the number of sustainable, operations-enabled opportunities for reducing product waste

Product-Service development for circular economy and sustainability course

ABSTRACT: This book is an output of the ERASMUS+ KATCH_e project. KATCH_e stands for “Knowledge Alliance on Product-Service Development towards Circular Economy and Sustainability in Higher Education”. This was a 3-year project (2017-2019), aiming to address the challenge of reinforcing skills and competences in Higher Education and within the business community, in the field of product-service development for the circular economy and sustainability, with a particular focus on the construction and furniture sectors.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio