Linking Food Waste Data with Environmental Impacts

6 October 2025 By

On 25 September 2025, Venla Kyttä from the Natural Resources Institute Finland (LUKE) presented the WASTEWISE approach to linking food waste data with environmental impact data derived from Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) databases during a poster session at the RETASTE Conference.

While it is well known that food waste represents a significant environmental challenge, and effective mitigation strategies must be developed accurately quantifying the environmental impacts embedded in food waste, this remains a significant gap. Currently, these impacts are not systematically reported alongside the total quantities of food waste generated across the different stages of the supply chain.

To address this issue, WASTEWISE has selected the FoodEx2 tool, a system for food classification standardisation. By establishing data linkage protocols and applying a consistent impact assessment method, they were able to assess spatially resolved estimates of several different environmental impacts embedded in wasted food in different supply chain stages in Europe.  

As highlighted in the presented poster, the integration of reported food waste quantities with Life Cycle Assessment data enables stakeholders to identify priority intervention points and supports policy development aimed at reducing food waste and its environmental consequences.