Food waste management taking off?

On October 2^nd, Madison Wright, a student of “Master of Science in Environmental Management & Policy” de la Universidad de Lund (Suecia), presented his thesis “FOOD WASTE MANAGEMENT TAKING OFF? Exploring prevention and treatment strategies of food waste in the airline industry:

A case study on SAS”

The purpose of this thesis was to:

“To understand the underlying barriers facing the airline industry when it comes to food waste management and to determine how Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) approaches food waste management. The research aimed to present the role of each stakeholder, track the food through the supply chain and highlight where food waste was the most likely to occur.

The current practices were then evaluated to determine whether the techniques used by SAS to prevent and treat food waste were the best strategies available while concluding with an assessment of alternative strategies implemented by competitors. This research concluded by offering potential recommendations to lower the amount of deplaned food waste.”

For the development of the thesis, he contacted the Life Zero Cabin Waste team to get feedback, use all the knowledge acquired throughout the project and to be able to compare the current management of SAS waste with the proposed under the ZCW.

Also, Madison noted how surprised she was to learn about the power of the consumer in promoting changes that help airlines reduce their environmental impact.

“When people demand changes from their airline the airline listens. It was really incredible to see that if enough people express their disappointment the more willing companies are to making changes in order to protect their brand. I think governments can also be extremely influential in directing attention to the airline industry and creating legislation that includes the industry in their climate goals.”