{"id":172565,"date":"2026-01-23T07:32:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T06:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/?p=172565"},"modified":"2026-01-22T15:17:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T14:17:12","slug":"europe-could-cut-bio-waste-by-making-food-producers-help-to-fund-collection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/europe-could-cut-bio-waste-by-making-food-producers-help-to-fund-collection\/","title":{"rendered":"Europe could cut bio-waste by making food producers help to fund collection"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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Fruit and vegetable garbage for background use \u00a9 Bio-based Industries Consortium<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

A new report argues that if the EU is serious about its food waste, climate, and circular economy goals, it must make those who profit from selling food take financial and operational responsibility for preventing food from becoming waste.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report, produced by the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) and\u00a0Zero Waste Europe<\/strong><\/a>(ZWE), shows that the EU will struggle to meet its 2030 food waste and climate targets without a new way to pay for food waste prevention and collection, and proposes introducing Extended Producer Responsibility for Food Products (EPRFP).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Food waste is responsible for 8\u201310% of global greenhouse gas emissions, while EU citizens generate around 130 kg of food waste per person each year. Despite the obligation for EU Member States to separately collect biowaste from 2024, only about 26% of kitchen waste is currently captured, with the rest ending up in landfills or incinerated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, in the Waste Framework Directive, the EU has set 2030 food waste reduction targets of 30% per capita at household, retail, and restaurant level and 10% at manufacturing level.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

EPRFP would shift some of the \u00a0financial and operational responsibility for food waste from municipalities and taxpayers, to those placing food on the EU market. EPRFF would apply to wholesalers, importers and retailers (only for their own \u201cwhite label\u201d products).
By targeting actors that design, package, label and market food, EPRFP aims to tackle waste upstream, where decisions on portion sizes, \u201cbest before\u201d dates, promotions and distribution are made.
The report positions EPRFP as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n