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Food waste reduction is an area of growing importance among the Nordic governments as well as at the EU level. The Nordic Council of Ministers has published several reports in recent years as part of the Green Growth Program, showing the amounts of food wasted and proposing technical and organizational solutions to the problems of food waste. Based on previous work done in the Nordic Food Redistribution Project, this report investigates best practice models among donors, receivers and authorities and proposes concrete steps towards safe and comprehensive systems for food redistribution through food banks and direct redistribution. This report summarizes results from phase II in the Nordic project on food redistribution through food banks and direct redistribution (referred to as the Nordic food redistribution project). The project is initiated by the Nordic Council of Ministers through the Green Growth program and financed by the Food and Agriculture program. The Green Growth program aims at greening the Nordic economies through eight prioritized areas, one of which is to develop techniques and methods for waste treatment. Viewing food redistribution as a method for reducing food waste, the food redistribution project falls within the scope of this prioritized area. ; This report summarizes experiences and results from Phase II of the Nordic Food Redistribution Project. The project was initiated by the Nordic Council of Ministers as part of the Nordic Prime Ministers' green growth initiative, "The Nordic Region – leading in green growth", with budget from the Food and Agriculture program. Den här rapporten finns endast på engelska.

Relatively few consumers are conscious of the waste generated in the course of producing the goods that they consume, although most are aware of the amount of waste they dispose of. This article reports on a small-scale survey (N = 28) among stakeholders aimed at developing adequate communication of preconsumer waste footprints of consumer goods in the context of the circular economy. Life cycle assessment (LCA) practitioners and consumers assessed five methodological details of an approach for calculating and communicating a product waste footprint (PWF). Most of the respondents expressed that the guidelines described in the proposed PWF methodology are good enough for the purposes of differentiating waste and byproducts, and defining which material flow shall be accounted for. Some LCA practitioners declared that the proposed streamlined method may not be adequate for conveying the environmental significance of waste types. The respondents also expressed that the PWF concept would be primarily useful and/or needed for consumers and government, and in the contexts of improving environmental awareness of consumers, environmental policy making, visualizing waste flows in a circular economy, and improving resource efficiency in industry, and less useful/needed in a business-to-business context. The PWF has been successfully used by diverse stakeholder groups in Sweden mostly to promote sustainable production and consumption across society. A notable example is the 'invisible waste' (#invisiblewaste) campaign of the Swedish Waste Management Association (Avfall Sverige). The concerns of the LCA experts have therefore not held true. The symbolic power and parsimony of the PWF concept appears to be effective in sensitizing consumers towards waste issues so that circular economy strategies beyond recycling are possible to be fully realized. ; QC 20181129

The Nordic Food Redistribution Project investigates food waste reduction through the redistribution of surplus food. The project goal is to increase and improve redistribution activities from donors to food banks and charity organisations in order to enhance both environmental and social sustainability in the Nordic region. The phase II report proposes best practice models concerning legislation, organisation, quality assurance and registration of food. Report recommendations are addressed at redistribution and food-serving actors, donors and authorities and focus on how to improve the quality of redistributed food, how to enhance collaboration between the various actors as well as how to prioritize and secure funding for redistribution activities. The report is part of the Nordic Prime Ministers' green growth initiative: "The Nordic Region – leading in green growth."

TemaNord 531 ; Critical raw materials (CRM) are used in various applications in different sectors, and their consumption will likely further increase in future. The threats caused by their limited availability and high prices have led to discussion on more efficient use of the resources available. The enhanced recycling of critical raw materials could be a significant opportunity for the Nordic countries.This report focuses on the recycling potential of wastes containing CRMs, analyses of the bottlenecks of recycling, and identifies potential policy instruments to eliminate the barriers or reduce their impact. In order to enhance sustainable recycling, the Nordic countries should improve knowledge of CRM availability, develop new recycling strategies, support demonstration and selected R&D actions, and strengthen Nordic influence on the development of European legislation and standards.

Critical raw materials (CRM) are used in various applications in different sectors, and their consumption will likely further increase in future. The threats caused by their limited availability and high prices have led to discussion on more efficient use of the resources available. The enhanced recycling of critical raw materials could be a significant opportunity for the Nordic countries.This report focuses on the recycling potential of wastes containing CRMs, analyses of the bottlenecks of recycling, and identifies potential policy instruments to eliminate the barriers or reduce their impact. In order to enhance sustainable recycling, the Nordic countries should improve knowledge of CRM availability, develop new recycling strategies, support demonstration and selected R&D actions, and strengthen Nordic influence on the development of European legislation and standards.

The aim of the project is to create knowledge on how plastics recycling can increase without increasing the risk of emitting hazardous substances to the environment.The first general conclusion is that to be able to increase recycling there are measures needed at different levels. The following areas are of interest: • Legislation: new legislation is not necessary, but harmonisation and clear guidance to the existing one is. • Market: to create a market safety on content is needed. • If substances added are less hazardous the recycled raw material would be "more safe" to use. • There should be higher attention put on the knowledge of the recyclers. • Traceability and content: Further work on labelling reaching the recycle part of the value chain needs to be developed. It is also needed to develop a systematic approach towards risk assessments linked to recycling.

The Nordic Food Redistribution Project investigates food waste reduction through the redistribution of surplus food. The project goal is to increase and improve redistribution activities from donors to food banks and charity organisations in order to enhance both environmental and social sustainability in the Nordic region. The phase II report proposes best practice models concerning legislation, organisation, quality assurance and registration of food. Report recommendations are addressed at redistribution and food-serving actors, donors and authorities and focus on how to improve the quality of redistributed food, how to enhance collaboration between the various actors as well as how to prioritize and secure funding for redistribution activities. The report is part of the Nordic Prime Ministers' green growth initiative: "The Nordic Region – leading in green growth."

Abstract: This report has a focus on waste prevention through redistribution of food to low-income people via charity organisations. Food redistribution can go via national food banks and via direct redistribution, often on a local level. Food banks in the Nordic region redistributed about 1.5 mill meals in 2013, and local charity organisations probably 2-3 times more. The regulatory framework for food redistribution is described and discussed in the report. The demand of and potential for redistribution is probably much higher than at present, and the report points out strategies and measures for how food banks can contribute to secure a further development. The report is part of the Nordic Prime Ministers' overall green growth initiative: "The Nordic Region - leading in green growth"--Read more in the web magazine "Green Growth the Nordic Way

About one third of the food produced globally is wasted along the food chain, representing a burden for the environment and an inefficiency of the food system. Tackling food waste is a priority on the global political agenda to guarantee food security. Defining a methodology for food waste quantification is key to monitoring progress towards the achievement of reduction targets. This paper summarises the outcomes of a workshop on food waste accounting co-organised by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre and Directorate-General on Health and Food Safety with the aim of stimulating harmonisation of methodologies, identifying challenges, opportunities, and further advancement for food waste accounting. The paper presents methodological aspects, e.g. system boundaries, reliability of data, accounting of water flows, to ensure better support to food waste policy design and interventions. It addresses all the actors of the food supply chain, governments, and research institutions.

The purpose of the project has been to identify how date labelling legislation on food is practised in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden and how the durability can be affected in the food supply chain. The project recommends enhanced guidance for manufacturers, retailers and consumers. When prolonging the durability of the product, the retail waste decreased significantly. The results show that the type of packaging gas and storage temperature is of great importance for the durability of food products. Consumer studies reveal a need for guidance on how long products may be eaten after opening of the package. The individual consumer needs clearer and more easily accessible information on different labelling, storage temperature and durability of products.

The EU Horizon 2020 CICERONE project (2018-2021) is developing a platform for EU programme owners (POs, i.e. public funders of programmes related to circular economy) to coordinate and collaborate on priority research and innovation actions. Part of this process was the development of the Circular Economy Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA). This SRIA is as a strategic guidance document that specifically focuses on the topic of CE in the European Union. The SRIA targets national, regional and local programme owners to identify joint priorities in research and innovation, co-implement joint programmes and guide further cooperation. Collaboration will be based on the SRIA's joint programmes, which provide a framework for a more systemic innovation aiming to create holistic, cross-cutting and systemic programmes with greater impacts.