Following the launch of its Food Waste Toolkit for
Associations, the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) is
doubling down on its commitment to sustainability in the global meetings
industry.
Senthil Gopinath
Developed in partnership with food-waste consultancy LightBlue and
inspired by the Bangkok Protocol on Sustainable Gastronomy, the toolkit offers
strategic guidelines and actionable steps to help associations reduce food
waste and promote ethical hospitality.
We spoke with ICCA CEO Senthil Gopinath about the toolkit’s
reception, its unique approach, and what associations stand to gain.
What do you hope associations gain from using the
toolkit?
The goal of the Toolkit was to spread awareness about the
issue of food waste at large-scale industry events; draw attention to the scale
of the problem; and offer actionable solutions that associations can implement
in their event planning. We're confident the association community will put the
ideas set forth in the Toolkit to good use and contribute to making a real
difference in the way our industry tackles this critical issue going forward.
The urgency is clear. According to the UN’s Global Waste
Management Outlook 2024, 1.05 billion tonnes of food were wasted globally in
2022, with food loss and waste accounting for 8–10 per cent of global
greenhouse gas emissions. If food waste were a country, it would be the
third-largest emitter of GHGs. Meanwhile, 783 million people worldwide suffer
from hunger.
How does it differ from other food waste or
sustainability toolkits in the industry?
The ICCA Food-Waste Management Toolkit is unique in that it
not only identifies food-waste pain points specific to associations and
provides step-by-step guidance on how to address these issues, it's also
presented in an easy-to-read format that supports comprehension and action.
It’s not just about theory, it’s about practical, scalable solutions.
The toolkit outlines how food waste occurs at every stage of
an event, from overproduction during preparation to plate waste during service
and spoilage post-event. It offers solutions such as improved forecasting, live
cooking stations, staggered servings, and culturally sensitive strategies that
frame waste reduction as ethical hospitality.
How do you expect this toolkit to be received?
ICCA anticipated, and received, great feedback following the
release of the Food-Waste Management Toolkit. We created the Toolkit with the
goal of providing associations with a usable document that could affect real
change in the way organisations operate with regard to food waste, in alignment
with our commitment to sustainability.
We recognise that food waste is a big problem across the
international business events industry, and as a leader in the space, we feel
honoured to be able to lead the way on tackling this important issue. The
feedback we've had so far has been overwhelmingly positive. The Toolkit has
been well-received by its intended association audience, and we're excited that
so many of our colleagues in the space are interested in reducing their
footprint by addressing food waste as a key issue in their sustainability strategies.
