With the world population on the rise, food wastage has become a pressing issue worldwide. The escalating amount of food waste poses significant threats to society, including health hazards, environmental pollution, and a shortage of landfills. Therefore, there is a growing demand for effective and sustainable solutions to manage the mounting food waste. The global food waste management market is expected to increase by USD 12.8 billion, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.6% from 2023 to 2028, according to the latest edition of the Global Food Waste Management Market Report. Factors driving the growth of the market include the increasing amount of food waste generated globally, rising awareness about the environmental impacts of food waste, and government initiatives to reduce food waste. Additionally, technological advancements in food waste management solutions such as composting, incineration, and anaerobic digestion are also contributing to market growth.
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Research Coverage
The global food waste management market has been categorized by the type of food waste into cereals, coffee grounds and tea, dairy and dairy products, fish and seafood, fruits and vegetables, meat and poultry, and oilseeds and pulses. Among these categories, fruits and vegetables dominate the majority share of food wastage in most regions worldwide. The wastage of fruits and vegetables mainly occurs before they reach consumers in developed countries due to reasons such as not meeting quality standards and overproduction. Despite being perfectly consumable, a significant portion of fruits and vegetables are discarded for not being aesthetically appealing even before they reach supermarket shelves. In Europe, more than 50 million tons of fruits and vegetables are wasted annually due to their wrong shape and size, and around 30% of total farm production is lost due to aesthetic reasons.
Based on sources of food waste, the global food waste management market is categorized into food distributors and suppliers, food manufacturers, food service providers, municipalities and households, and primary food producers. The municipalities and households segment is expected to account for the majority share of the global market for food waste management. This is primarily because of the lack of awareness among the consumers regarding the expiry date of food products, improper storage of food items and preparation of excess food, among other factors.
The global food waste management market has been divided into five method segments, which include disposal, optimization, prevention, recovery, and recycling. The recycling segment, which involves converting food waste into useful products such as compost, animal feed, and biofuels, is currently the largest segment in the global food waste management market. This segment is expected to maintain its leading position in the market throughout the forecast period. The recycling methods for food waste include various processes such as anaerobic digestion and composting. During anaerobic digestion (AD), food waste is broken down through a series of biological reactions, resulting in the production of biogas. Biogas, which contains a significant amount of methane, can be used to generate energy. The remaining organic material, which contains a high concentration of nutrients, can be used as fertilizer or soil conditioner. The composting process helps to recover nutrients that would otherwise be wasted. Typically, the organic matter remaining from AD is first composted with garden waste and then applied to land.
By end user, the global food waste management market has been segmented into animal feed, biofuels, fertilizers, and power generation. Utilizing food waste as a source of animal feed is a solution that can address multiple issues such as food security, resource conservation, pollution, and climate change. With advancements in technology, there are numerous food waste management solutions available that can help convert food waste into nutritious, safe, and value-added feed products. The animal feed segment held the largest share in the global food waste management market and is expected to remain the largest end user throughout the forecast period.
North American region has emerged as the leader in the Global Food Waste Management Market. This can be attributed to the growing awareness among consumers and businesses about the impact of food waste on the environment and the economy. According to the studies conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), almost 168 million tons of food waste is produced in North America per year. Out of this, 126 million tons of food waste is generated in the U.S., 13 million tons in Canada, and 28 million tons is from Mexico. The estimated per-capita food wastage amounts for North American countries are among the highest in the world. The estimated per capita food wastage per person in a year in the U.S. is almost 415 kg. When it comes to Canada, this figure is slightly lower, at 396 kg per person. Mexico has the lowest estimated per capita food wastage per person in a year among these three countries at 249 kg. Due to food wastage, almost $278 billion dollar is lost every year in North America. The North America region has witnessed a significant increase in the adoption of advanced technologies and innovative solutions for food waste management, which has further strengthened its position in the market. Following closely behind is Europe, which has also been actively working towards reducing food waste and promoting sustainable practices in the food industry. The region has implemented strict regulations and policies to encourage food waste reduction and has been investing in research and development to find new and effective solutions for food waste management.
Competitive Landscape
The global food waste management market is highly competitive and fragmented, with the presence of several small and large players. Some of the key players operating in the market include Biancamano S.p.A., Biffa plc, Casella Waste Systems, Inc., Clean Harbors, Inc., Cleanaway Waste Management Limited, Danielson Holding Corporation (Covanta Energy Corp.), Ecofast Italia S.r.l., ENERKEM Inc., GFL Environmental Inc., Go Copia, PBC, Goodr, Inc., KITRO SA, Lakeshore Recycling Systems LLC (LRS), Modern Waste Products Inc., Nanhai Development Co., Ltd., Organix Recycling, LLC by Denali Water Solutions LLC, Power Knot LLC, Quest Resource Holding Corporation, Recology Inc., ReFood GmbH & Co. KG, Republic Services, Inc., RETHMANN SE & Co. KG, Rubicon Holdings, LLC, Rumpke Consolidated Companies, Inc., The Waste Company (UK) Limited, Veolia Environnement S.A. (SUEZ S.A.), Viridor Ltd., Waste Connections, Inc., Waste Management, Inc., Winnow Solutions Ltd. etc. To expand their market presence, key players in the global food waste management market are adopting various strategies such as mergers and acquisitions, partnerships, and collaborations. For instance, Veolia recently announced its merger agreement with Vigie SA (formerly known as Suez SA) on August 3, 2022. Similarly, Covanta Holding Corporation acquired Biologic Environmental Services and Waste Solutions on August 29, 2022. With this acquisition, Covanta will integrate Biologic’s fully permitted facilities in Northern and Southern California into its portfolio of zero carbon and zero waste-to-landfill services. These moves reflect the intense competition in the market and the players’ efforts to offer innovative solutions and expand their geographic presence.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Figures and Tables
1. Introduction
1.1 Definition
1.2 Market Segment
2. Research Methodology
2.1 Primary Research
2.2 Secondary Research
2.3 Information Sources
3. Market Overview
4. Global Food Waste Management Market – Offering Analysis
4.1 Hardware
4.2 Services
4.3 Software
5. Global Food Waste Management Market – Type Of Food Waste Analysis
5.1 Cereals
5.2 Coffee grounds and tea
5.3 Dairy and dairy products
5.4 Fish and seafood
5.5 Fruits and vegetables
5.6 Meat and poultry
5.7 Oilseeds and pulses
5.8 Processed food
6. Global Food Waste Management Market – Sources Of Food Waste Analysis
6.1 Food distributors and suppliers
6.2 Food manufacturers
6.3 Food service providers
6.4 Municipalities and households
6.5 Primary food producers
7. Global Food Waste Management Market – Method Analysis
7.1 Disposal
7.2 Optimization
7.3 Prevention
7.4 Recovery
7.5 Recycling
8. Global Food Waste Management Market – End User Analysis
8.1 Animal feed
8.2 Biofuels
8.3 Fertilizers
8.4 Power generation
9. Global Food Waste Management Market – Region Analysis
9.1 North America
9.2 Europe
9.3 Asia-Pacific
9.4 MEA (Middle East and Africa)
9.5 Latin America
10. Company Profiles
10.1 Biancamano S.p.A.
10.2 Biffa plc
10.3 Casella Waste Systems, Inc.
10.4 Clean Harbors, Inc.
10.5 Cleanaway Waste Management Limited
10.6 Danielson Holding Corporation (Covanta Energy Corp.)
10.7 Ecofast Italia S.r.l.
10.8 ENERKEM Inc.
10.9 GFL Environmental Inc.
10.10 Go Copia, PBC
10.11 Goodr, Inc.
10.12 KITRO SA
10.13 Lakeshore Recycling Systems LLC (LRS)
10.14 Modern Waste Products Inc.
10.15 Nanhai Development Co., Ltd.
10.16 Organix Recycling, LLC by Denali Water Solutions LLC
10.17 Power Knot LLC
10.18 Quest Resource Holding Corporation
10.19 Recology Inc.
10.20 ReFood GmbH & Co. KG
10.21 Republic Services, Inc.
10.22 RETHMANN SE & Co. KG
10.23 Rubicon Holdings, LLC
10.24 Rumpke Consolidated Companies, Inc.
10.25 The Waste Company (UK) Limited
10.26 Veolia Environnement S.A. (SUEZ S.A.)
10.27 Viridor Ltd.
10.28 Waste Connections, Inc.
10.29 Waste Management, Inc.
10.30 Winnow Solutions Ltd.
DISCLAIMER
Companies Mentioned
Biancamano S.p.A.
Biffa plc
Casella Waste Systems, Inc.
Clean Harbors, Inc.
Cleanaway Waste Management Limited
Danielson Holding Corporation (Covanta Energy Corp.)
Ecofast Italia S.r.l.
ENERKEM Inc.
GFL Environmental Inc.
Go Copia, PBC
Goodr, Inc.
KITRO SA
Lakeshore Recycling Systems LLC (LRS)
Modern Waste Products Inc.
Nanhai Development Co., Ltd.
Organix Recycling, LLC by Denali Water Solutions LLC
Power Knot LLC
Quest Resource Holding Corporation
Recology Inc.
ReFood GmbH & Co. KG
Republic Services, Inc.
RETHMANN SE & Co. KG
Rubicon Holdings, LLC
Rumpke Consolidated Companies, Inc.
The Waste Company (UK) Limited
Veolia Environnement S.A. (SUEZ S.A.)
Viridor Ltd.
Waste Connections, Inc.
Waste Management, Inc.
Winnow Solutions Ltd.