Under the Food Loss and Waste Standard and the Food Waste Reduction Roadmap guidelines biomaterial processing is NOT classified as a food waste destination.
Initial guidance is provided in the Definitions Tab of the Food loss and waste data capture sheet as follows:
Bio-based materials/ biochemical processing
This refers to destinations in which food and/or inedible parts are ‘valorized’ by conversion into Industrial Products. Examples include creating fibres for packaging material, creating bioplastics (e.g. polylactic acid), rendering into a raw material to make products such as soaps or cosmetics. In order to confirm material sent to this destination can be excluded from FLW, businesses should undertake due diligence with the recipient of the material to ensure that valorization into other industrial products occurs, as intended (e.g. producing saleable products for chemicals, packaging markets, etc.) The production of biofuel products (e.g. biodiesel, fuel pellets) as an output from this destination shall be accounted for as FLW.
WRAP is developing new guidance to supplement the above to help businesses assess if any of their material qualifies as biomaterial processing.
In the meantime, if you believe your treatment of material should qualify as biomaterial processing, please contact your UK Food and Drink Pact account manager or [email protected] for confirmation.
Material treatment that does not qualify
The World Resources Institute (WRI) announced changes to the guidance for how food and/or inedible parts converted into biodiesel and other biofuel products (such as spent coffee grounds) should be reported:
Following consultation with the Food Loss and Waste Protocol Steering Committee and based on discussions with a range of food businesses and food experts, it was agreed that all material which leaves the human food supply chain and is in the end burned for energy should be treated equally. This means that for entities reporting in support of SDG 12.3, all food and/or inedible parts sent directly for incineration, or after processing is used as a fuel, should be reported as food waste. In recognition that material converted into a biofuel product (such as biodiesel or solid-fuel pellets/bricks) has added value, the guidance is to report such materials under the ‘other’ destination.
WRAP has aligned the UK Roadmap guidelines to be consistent with this.
WRI also clarified that used cooking oil should be included in businesses’ food waste reporting, rather than being considered as a ‘processing aid’. This can be reported under ‘inedible parts’ for those businesses setting a food waste prevention target which excludes this fraction of food waste.
In the same vein, WRAP’s new guidance will identify that the treatment of material that produces digestate, fertiliser, soil supplement, soil substitute, compost or ground cover as an end product should be reported as food waste.