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Addressing the Environmental Impacts Of Food Loss And Waste Prevention And Its Rebound Effects

Project description

The impact of food loss and waste prevention

PRECIOUS is a European project that goes beyond qualitative, micro-level studies by applying a systemic and multidimensional approach to transform how we tackle food loss and waste (FLW). With 18 partners across 11 countries, the EU-funded PRECIOUS project combines multidisciplinary research, stakeholder engagement and data-driven models to design strategies that reduce the FLW environmental and socioeconomic impacts. It addresses not only the direct impacts of FLW but also the rebound effect, where reducing waste can create unexpected environmental outcomes. By creating cutting-edge tools, standardised databases and dynamic models, PRECIOUS will demonstrate how FLW impacts climate, energy and biodiversity. PRECIOUS aims to inform decision-making, shift cultural attitudes and reduce the environmental footprint across Europe for fairer and more sustainable food systems.

Objective

If food loss and waste (FLW) were a country, it would be the third leading cause of greenhouse gas emissions. FLW also burdens waste management systems and exacerbates food insecurity, , contributing significantly to the three global crises of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste.
PRECIOUS, an transdisciplinary alliance of 20 entities from 11 EU countries, believes that reliable data on the environmental impacts of FLW is crucial for accelerating EU progress towards climate targets and reducing environmental impacts (including biodiversity) across the food supply chain. The project´s collective understanding is that the challenge goes beyond measuring the amount of food saved or CO2 emissions. When food is wasted, valuable and limited resources such as water, land use, and energy are lost, while 8.9% of the worldwide population is suffering from hunger accordingto FAO, therefore, depleting the planet's natural resources. It is critical to broaden our understanding of the issue to transform the food system and raise public awareness that motivate change.
PRECIOUS aims to contribute to the transformation of food systems by addressing existing data gaps and developing a unified and openly accessible evaluation framework to quantify the economic, environmental, and social impacts of strategies to reduce FLW, taking into account potential rebound effects.
The project will engage stakeholders from 2 Use Cases (Spain and Greece) and 3 Co-creation and Replication Nodes (Poland, Lithuania, Hungary) to address systemic causes across geographical boundaries. The project aims to induce a fundamental change in attitudes and behaviours towards food consumption and disposal through collaborative efforts and innovative methods, fostering a more just and sustainable EU food system.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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Keywords

Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)

Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions

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Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) HORIZON-CL6-2024-FARM2FORK-01

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Coordinator

UNIVERSIDAD DE LA IGLESIA DE DEUSTO ENTIDAD RELIGIOSA
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 623 265,00
Address
AVENIDA DE LAS UNIVERSIDADES 24
48007 Bilbao
Spain

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Region
Noreste País Vasco Bizkaia
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 623 265,00

Participants (17)

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