Food waste is a global problem. Each year, an estimated USD$1.2 trillion worth of food is lost or wasted across the food supply chain. This equates to a staggering 1.6 billion tonnes of material.

Waste of this nature has serious economic and environmental implications. Australia’s food waste problem is estimated at 7.6 million tonnes, costing our economy $36.6 billion per year. In 2017, the Australian Government committed to halving food waste in Australia by 2030.

During 2023, Food & Fibre Gippsland offered two innovative programs for the benefit of our members which addressed wastage across the supply chain. Both programs, Direct and Ecodex, were designed and licensed by Empauer, using information technology developed by RMIT University.

Ecodex and Direct conform to international alignments Food Loss and Waste Accounting and Reporting Standard (FLW Standard) and the environmental management standard ISO-14051.

Direct software tool - for quantifying the true cost of food waste.

The Direct program business case enables organisations to understand where and how much food loss and waste is occurring in their processes, by comprehensively tracking contributing factors. This is achieved by identifying upstream and downstream effects across their entire logistics and production-chain to understand the true cost of waste.

Aimed at improving the company’s sustainability and environmental performance, the Direct tool assists in decision-making, therefore enabling opportunities for additional income and higher food value.

Direct manages the crucial data and provides the assessment framework organisations need to dramatically reduce food waste.

More detail is available via the Direct overview document. Information about Australia’s roadmap for reducing food waste can be found on the End Food Waste Australia website, along with downloadable resources.

**The true cost of food waste - *Direct* overview document**

Empauer has prepared a summary document which provides an overview of the Direct software tool’s benefits, including the major financial, environmental and social opportunities available when addressing food loss and waste across an operation.

Ecodex software tool - for evaluating and understanding the environmental impacts of products and packaging.

The Ecodex program business case examines the packaging format of an enterprise, measuring the expected greenhouse gas emissions, non-renewable packing content, freshwater use, land use and ecosphere impact throughout the process. This includes measurement of ingredients relating to supply, packing, manufacturing, distribution/storage, consumer use and product end-of-life.

As a business tool, Ecodex compares various options and is capable of optimising improvements to a product, including improved sustainability. Reports are generated with a dashboard and set of charts, allowing users to assess or compare product categories.

Equipped with this information, companies are able to make decisions on the most economical packaging formats or packaging materials.

This project was initially funded by the Latrobe Valley Authority, through the Smart Specialisation stream.

The above information outlines one of our past programs undertaken to support the food and fibre sector. We continue to seek new and innovative ways to foster success and prosperity within our industry.

If you have any questions about our previous or current projects, please contact us via email: info@foodandfibregippsland.com.au.