Enactus board member and Brambles CEO Tom Gorman launches global initiative, 1 Race 2 End Waste, to reduce food loss and waste in developing and developed countries.
Enactus is an international Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) dedicated to inspiring students to improve the world through entrepreneurial action.
Brambles is a supply-chain logistics company operating in more than 60 countries, primarily through the CHEP and IFCO brands.
“Food loss and waste are recognized by NGOs, such as the World Bank and the United Nations FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization), and by business organizations, such as the Consumer Goods Forum, as critical challenges in the fight to reduce hunger, protect the environment and grow economic opportunity,” says Gorman.
“Enactus students bring a long history of successful engagement on social and economic issues by working with communities to create new enterprises that serve the wellbeing of others.”
“We believe that the students will play an important role, that of reaching people who are facing the negative consequences of food loss and waste – one of the most important issues facing the planet.”
“According to United Nations FAO, the 1.3 billion tons of food loss and waste negatively impacts the ability to feed a growing population and the nearly 800 million people that go hungry every day,” he said.
FAO reports that the value of food lost or wasted annually around the globe – one-third of the food produced or 1.3 billion tons – is estimated at US$1 trillion.
This food loss and waste also results in:
– 3.3 billion tons of greenhouse gases emitted into the planet’s atmosphere per year.
If food waste was a country, it would be the third biggest emitter of greenhouse gases globally after China and the US.
– A global water footprint of food wastage higher than that of any country, whether a temperate country, with relatively large water use, or a large country such as India or China.
At the announcement, students from Brazil, Kenya and Morocco joined the call for action.
“It is a big mission. Each year over 1.5 million people are food insecure in Kenya and the wasted and lost food is valued at 40 million Kenya shillings (US$0.4 million),” says Patrick Gichohi from Kenya’s Eldoret University.
“It is not only a big mission, but it is critical to the future of my country.”
“The 1 Race 2 End Waste will be launched at the Enactus World Cup, a gathering of students from 36 countries and international business leaders, in Toronto September 28-30,” says Enactus CEO, Alvin Rohrs.
“The thousands of Enactus teams in 36 countries will have the opportunity to develop projects that would reduce food loss and waste.”
