Waste Not, Want Not: Reducing Food Loss and Waste in North America through Life Cycle-based Approaches - Executive Summary

This document presents an executive summary of a collaboration between UN Environment North America and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that applies life cycle thinking to reduce food loss and waste across the North American supply chain. It explains that 30–40% of food available for consumption is lost, highlights reduction targets, and argues that prevention yields greater environmental benefit than end-of-life management because most impacts occur before disposal. The summary outlines how life cycle assessment can quantify impacts, compare management options, and guide policy, noting evidence that anaerobic digestion generally outperforms composting and landfilling. Case studies include Oregon’s prevention-focused strategy, Canadian manufacturing assessments by Provision Coalition, EPA’s WARM tool for emissions estimates, and entrepreneurial upcycling that valorizes otherwise wasted food within a circular approach.