The annual waste2zero awards, that recognise excellence in waste management and prevention in the out of home sector, is open for entries until Friday 6th September.
Among the many areas of business that organisations seek to mitigate in
pursuit of sustainability, waste is one that will just not go away.
Waste remains endemic and one of the biggest global challenges today. In the
out of home sector, arguably the two biggest areas of waste are food and
packaging. Food is still wasted at every stage of the supply chain – much of it
before it even reaches the table – whilst packaging – a necessary evil for the
food industry in its current form – creates its own environmental issues with
production and disposal.
Plastic is of course the constant bête noire, and the debate over single-
use rages on. Evidence of our profligacy proliferates the oceans as much as
the high street with the resulting microplastics unnervingly being shown to be
entering the food chain.
Much best practice is in evidence; but an unacceptable waste culture also
remains prevalent.
The objective of waste2zero – the first awards of its kind when it was
launched in 2017 and now in its eighth annual cycle – is to specifically give the
out of home industry a platform to showcase best practice and recognise
excellence in this vital area.
An elite panel of judges, experts in waste, packaging and sustainability,
review innovations and initiatives from organisations large and small in
areas such as resource management, closed loop, recycling and food
redistribution.
Clear leadership is evident from some organisations in the
sector who are demonstrating operational strategies that reduce waste
impacts to the environment up and down supply chains. If you have an initiative you are proud of in this area then you should be entering waste2zero.
The winners will be announced at the waste2zero dinner which will be held at The In and Out Club in London’s St.James’s Square on Thursday November 21st.
You can see 2023’s winners here