New initiative aims to help create a circular economy for food

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation has created the Ellen MacArthur Foundation Food initiative, which will work with a community of participant cities, as well as companies including Danone, Mizkan, Nestlé, Novamont, Veolia, and Yara, to develop circular economy solutions to the problems of today’s food system. In three “flagship” Cities—London, New York, and São Paulo—the Foundation will lead major food system projects to demonstrate how a circular economy vision for food can be achieved at scale. It is the first time cities and companies have come together in this way. The three-year initiative is supported by Philanthropic Partner Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.

The Food initiative will develop solutions in line with a vision of a circular economy for food based on three principles:

• Source food grown regeneratively, and locally where appropriate. Producing food regeneratively to rebuild the health of the natural world, rather than degrade it.
• Make the most of food. Food is grown, processed, transported, prepared, and by-products managed, in ways that benefit the health of people and natural systems. Food is designed to cycle, so by-products from one enterprise can help to improve soil health.
• Design and market healthier food products. Waste is designed out and food products are created to not only be healthy from a nutritional standpoint, but in the way they are produced.

“By joining forces in this way, cities, and the businesses and people in them, can transform the global food system,” said Clementine Schouteden, Ellen MacArthur Foundation Food initiative lead. “We can grow food in ways that support ecosystems instead of damaging them. Food would be sourced locally, when it makes sense, and we would make the most of it, avoiding edible waste and using organic by-products to improve soil health. This is a unique opportunity to create a system which helps to tackle the climate crisis, restore biodiversity, improve human health, and reconnect people with their food, while creating new business opportunities.”

As set out in the Foundation’s report Cities and Circular Economy for Food, the benefits of this approach include reducing annual greenhouse gas emissions by 4.3 billion tons of carbon dioxide a year, the equivalent of taking one billion cars off the road permanently, and avoiding the degradation of 15 million hectares of arable land per year. It could also lead to significant reductions on antimicrobial resistance, air pollution, water contamination, and foodborne diseases.

Press release