Annually, food waste creates 5 million metric tonnes of CO2e. This equates to around 8-10% of all global emissions and more than the total emissions of the EU. These emissions come from the equivalent of 2.5 billion tonnes of uneaten food. Yet, research has found that only 17% of Brits are aware that 40% of all food grown is wasted across all stages of the supply chain; from farms to restaurants and retailers, and in the home.

To raise awareness of this issue, Oddbox, the food waste fighting company, has submitted a formal application for a new nation, ‘Wasteland’, to join the UN and published a series of compelling social content to add ‘Wasteland’ to the map.

The application is intended to make people take note of the role that food waste has to play in the climate crisis. A role so large that if food waste were a country it would be the third-largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, after only China and the US. 

The land mass of the hypothetical country ‘Wasteland’ would measure a mammoth 6.3 million km² in size; bigger than the entire EU, nearly double the size of India and more than 26 times the size of the UK. 

“Food waste is a problem at every stage of the supply chain, from farm to fork,” explained Emilie Vanpoperinghe and Deepak Ravindran, Co-Founders of Oddbox. “The Oddbox community of growers, team and subscribers are together making a dent in farm-level food waste, having rescued more than 19,500 tonnes of food waste since 2016; the equivalent to how much food over 42,000 people eat in a year. But with less than half of Brits aware of the link between food waste and climate change, we want to raise awareness amongst a wider audience so that together, we can wipe ‘Wasteland’ off the map. Whilst tackling climate change can often feel overwhelming, knowing that each of us can take meaningful action by fighting food waste makes us hopeful.”

This initiative was thought up following research conducted on behalf of Oddbox that found while 67% of UK adults are concerned about the future of our planet, less than half are aware of the impact of food waste. 

The brand has taken on the role of lead spokesperson of ‘Wasteland’ and if the country’s letter of application to become a UN member state is successful, Oddbox would use its seat at the table to call on world leaders to help achieve four key aims in pursuit of halving food waste by 2030, addressing issues at every stage of the food supply chain: 

#1 Educate all on the impact of food waste on climate change 

#2 End retailer rejection of produce based on shape & colour; only 21% of UK adults say that they’d shun fruit and veg that looked ‘odd’ 

#3 Encourage retailers to stock what’s been grown and allow people to embrace the joy of eating what’s on ‘nature’s menu’ 

#4 Measure and report on food waste across the supply chain, including at farm level; only 3% of UK adults are aware that farms generate the biggest amount of food waste globally and almost a third (32%) believe that supermarkets and retail are the most problematic