Taking the transformation pathway : food waste prevention measures in day-care centres in Copenhagen

Abstract: We are currently using the planet’s limited resources in a very unsustainable way: around one-third of all food produced for human consumption is wasted each year, which has immense environmental, social and economic consequences. Even though ranked as one of the most sustainable countries in the world, Denmark still wastes annually food worth €1.1billion. To reduce the amount of food waste and all its consequences, preventing avoidable food waste is the most preferred option. With the help of the transition theory as well as the theory of the diffusion of innovations, this thesis explores how innovations to prevent food waste can lead to a more sustainable food waste regime. The thesis contributes therefore to sustainability science through linking research on problem structures with a solution-oriented approach that seeks to understand, diffuse and scale up food waste prevention measures. Destructive landscape changes, such as the financial crisis, global population growth, climate change and the ambitious future food waste reduction targets of the EU, cause an emerging visibility of food waste in all areas of society and put immense pressure on the underlying regime level. As suggested by the concept of transition pathways, regime actors, such as the government of Denmark and the city of Copenhagen, have started to react and adjust to the described landscape pressures. The identified innovation of food waste prevention measures in the case of day-care kitchens in Copenhagen tackles all main causes of food waste in the food service sector. If those innovations are stable and diffused to a certain extent, they might be adopted as add-ons by regime-actors. This can lead to a change of practices, an overall reduction of food waste and consequently to a transformation towards a more sustainable food waste regime. Regime actors could enhance the diffusion of the measures for example through the use of homophilous change agents, the promotion of perceived characteristics of the measures and the effective use of different communication channels.