US nonprofit praises Türkiye's zero waste leadership at COP31

Türkiye's climate leadership highlighted

The head of a US-based food waste nonprofit on Monday praised Türkiye's Zero Waste initiative and credited First Lady Emine Erdogan with raising international awareness of waste reduction, speaking on the sidelines of the UN climate summit COP31 in Antalya. Dana Gunders, who leads the organization ReFED, told Anadolu that Türkiye is demonstrating strong leadership through its annual Zero Waste Forum, which convenes global stakeholders to address waste issues.

"I think with COP and with the Zero Waste Foundation, Türkiye is really showing a lot of leadership," Gunders said. "They're now hosting the Zero Waste Forum every year for people from all over the world to come," she added, noting that the First Lady's efforts have helped elevate the topic on the world stage. "I think the attention to this topic has really risen with the help of the First Lady for sure," she said.

Technology and AI solutions

Gunders highlighted practical technological measures to prevent food waste, noting that artificial intelligence can help grocery stores forecast consumer demand more accurately to avoid excess purchasing. "I think one good solution has been using AI to forecast sales better," she said, explaining that improved forecasting allows retailers to reduce surplus before it becomes waste.

She also pointed to mobile applications that enable restaurants and grocery stores to sell food at significant discounts before disposal. Gunders further emphasized the importance of employee engagement, noting that company policies to reduce waste are not always effectively implemented on the ground.

Calls for climate financing

Turning to international climate negotiations, Gunders urged countries to incorporate food loss and waste reduction into their nationally determined contributions under the Paris Agreement. "I would like to see some text in the negotiated text that identifies waste reduction and methane reductions from waste as a big opportunity," she stated, adding that greater financial support from mechanisms including the Green Climate Fund remains essential. "I'd like to see some of the funding from GCF and others be dedicated towards this," she said.

"I think the good thing about food waste is we know how to solve it, but it will take a lot of financing, so we need that to come," Gunders added. ReFED, established in 2015, has provided data resources to more than 300,000 users seeking food waste reduction strategies. She also highlighted the US Food Waste Pact — a collaborative initiative involving more than half of US grocery stores — which has recorded annual decreases in waste through data sharing between participating companies.