Türkiye Wins Praise for Global Leadership on Zero Waste Initiative
(MENAFN) Türkiye is emerging as a leading force in the global fight against waste through its Zero Waste initiative, with a US-based nonprofit leader commending First Lady Emine Erdogan for helping bring international attention to the issue.
Speaking to a Turkish news agency on Monday on the sidelines of the UN climate summit COP31 in Türkiye, Dana Gunders, head of US-based food waste organization ReFED, praised the country's efforts to encourage international cooperation on reducing food waste.
“I think with COP and with the Zero Waste Foundation, Türkiye is really showing a lot of leadership,” Gunders said.
“They’re now hosting the Zero Waste Forum every year for people from all over the world to come,” she added.
Gunders also highlighted the contribution of Emine Erdogan in increasing global awareness and putting food waste higher on the international agenda.
“I think the attention to this topic has really risen with the help of the First Lady for sure,” she said.
Her remarks followed her participation in a COP31 panel entitled “Preventing Food Waste Before Consumption: Supply Chains and Surplus,” organized by WRAP in partnership with ReFED.
AI and technology emerge as tools against food waste
Discussing practical ways to tackle the problem, Gunders pointed to artificial intelligence as a valuable tool for supermarkets seeking to improve demand forecasts and avoid purchasing more products than consumers need.
“I think one good solution has been using AI to forecast sales better,” she said, explaining that more accurate predictions can help retailers prevent excess food from accumulating and eventually being discarded.
She also highlighted mobile applications that allow restaurants and grocery retailers to offer substantial discounts on products approaching their expiration dates, helping sell surplus food rather than throw it away.
Employee participation is another critical element, she said, warning that corporate commitments and waste reduction policies do not always translate into effective action on the ground.
Founded in 2015, ReFED has concentrated on supplying businesses with data and research to help them determine which measures can deliver the greatest reductions in food waste.
Gunders said the organization's online platform has attracted more than 300,000 users seeking access to its information and resources.
She also pointed to the US Food Waste Pact, a joint initiative involving more than half of American grocery retailers alongside numerous restaurant and food service companies.
The program encourages participating businesses to exchange data and compare their performance, helping them identify opportunities to reduce waste. Gunders said companies have achieved further reductions each year.
Calls for stronger climate commitments and funding
Addressing international climate policy, Gunders urged governments to include measures targeting food loss and waste in their nationally determined contributions (NDCs), the climate commitments countries submit under the Paris Agreement.
“I would like to see some text in the negotiated text that identifies waste reduction and methane reductions from waste as a big opportunity,” she said.
She also called for international climate financing institutions, including the Green Climate Fund (GCF), to allocate more resources toward projects designed to prevent food waste.
“I’d like to see some of the funding from GCF and others be dedicated towards this,” she said.
Stressing that proven methods are already available, Gunders said the priority should be securing the financial resources needed to expand successful initiatives and make them accessible on a global scale.
“I think the good thing about food waste is we know how to solve it, but it will take a lot of financing, so we need that to come,” she added.
Speaking to a Turkish news agency on Monday on the sidelines of the UN climate summit COP31 in Türkiye, Dana Gunders, head of US-based food waste organization ReFED, praised the country's efforts to encourage international cooperation on reducing food waste.
“I think with COP and with the Zero Waste Foundation, Türkiye is really showing a lot of leadership,” Gunders said.
“They’re now hosting the Zero Waste Forum every year for people from all over the world to come,” she added.
Gunders also highlighted the contribution of Emine Erdogan in increasing global awareness and putting food waste higher on the international agenda.
“I think the attention to this topic has really risen with the help of the First Lady for sure,” she said.
Her remarks followed her participation in a COP31 panel entitled “Preventing Food Waste Before Consumption: Supply Chains and Surplus,” organized by WRAP in partnership with ReFED.
AI and technology emerge as tools against food waste
Discussing practical ways to tackle the problem, Gunders pointed to artificial intelligence as a valuable tool for supermarkets seeking to improve demand forecasts and avoid purchasing more products than consumers need.
“I think one good solution has been using AI to forecast sales better,” she said, explaining that more accurate predictions can help retailers prevent excess food from accumulating and eventually being discarded.
She also highlighted mobile applications that allow restaurants and grocery retailers to offer substantial discounts on products approaching their expiration dates, helping sell surplus food rather than throw it away.
Employee participation is another critical element, she said, warning that corporate commitments and waste reduction policies do not always translate into effective action on the ground.
Founded in 2015, ReFED has concentrated on supplying businesses with data and research to help them determine which measures can deliver the greatest reductions in food waste.
Gunders said the organization's online platform has attracted more than 300,000 users seeking access to its information and resources.
She also pointed to the US Food Waste Pact, a joint initiative involving more than half of American grocery retailers alongside numerous restaurant and food service companies.
The program encourages participating businesses to exchange data and compare their performance, helping them identify opportunities to reduce waste. Gunders said companies have achieved further reductions each year.
Calls for stronger climate commitments and funding
Addressing international climate policy, Gunders urged governments to include measures targeting food loss and waste in their nationally determined contributions (NDCs), the climate commitments countries submit under the Paris Agreement.
“I would like to see some text in the negotiated text that identifies waste reduction and methane reductions from waste as a big opportunity,” she said.
She also called for international climate financing institutions, including the Green Climate Fund (GCF), to allocate more resources toward projects designed to prevent food waste.
“I’d like to see some of the funding from GCF and others be dedicated towards this,” she said.
Stressing that proven methods are already available, Gunders said the priority should be securing the financial resources needed to expand successful initiatives and make them accessible on a global scale.
“I think the good thing about food waste is we know how to solve it, but it will take a lot of financing, so we need that to come,” she added.
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