SDG Target 12.3 on Food Loss and Waste: 2022 Progress Report is the seventh in an annual series of publications providing an assessment of the world’s progress toward achieving Sustainable Development Goal Target 12.3. SDG 12.3 aims to “by 2030, halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses.” Prepared on behalf of Champions 12.3, this publication seeks to inform decision-makers in government, business, academia, and civil society about recent advances and what remaining steps need to be addressed if the world is to achieve the target.
Highlights
- At the near-halfway point of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), global progress by governments and companies on achieving SDG 12.3 is slower than needed when compared to the Champions 12.3 Road Map.
- In regard to setting targets that align with SDG 12.3, both countries and companies are lagging behind where they should be. However, this may be because leaders assume that the SDGs serve as an implicit target and therefore do not need to restate a specific target for food loss and waste.
- Companies are outperforming national governments when it comes to measurement and reporting of food loss and waste, but significant data gaps still exist. Developments from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the European Commission may improve country-level reporting in coming years.
- Companies are also taking action to address food loss and waste at a greater rate than countries, although some large countries have begun to take more prominent action.
- As for companies, more of them need to work with their suppliers to address food loss and waste through the entire supply chain. Retailers are currently leading other companies in this regard.
- With eight years to go until 2030, more countries and companies need to follow the examples of global leaders and begin systematically addressing food loss and waste.