Climate Talk | INNOWO

WARSAW CLIMATE TALKS

Strategies and Best Practices against Food Waste

Date: 18.11.2025
Time: 9:30 -15:00
Venue: German Embassy, Warsaw

Participation: on-site

Free of charge

Globally, approximately 1.3 billion tons of food are wasted each year. Food loss is not only an ethical and economic issue—it is also a climate crisis multiplier. If food waste were a country, it would be the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases after the U.S. and China. Reducing food loss and waste is among the most cost-effective climate actions we can take.

In Germany (with a population of 83,5 Mio) food waste amounts to nearly 11 million tons per year and in Poland (with a population of 36,5 Mio) to nearly 5 million tons annually. Food waste occurs at every stage of the supply chain—from production, through distribution, to consumption. A significant share of this waste occurs in private households, where consumer habits, lack of awareness and also knowledge, and systemic inefficiencies contribute to avoidable waste.

On October 17, 2025, the amendment to the Waste Framework Directive came into force. The new regulations introduce binding EU-wide food waste reduction targets to bet met by 2030.The targets are a 10 % reduction in food processing and manufacturing, and a 30% per capita jointly reduction in retail, restaurants, food services and households. These changes can have a significant impact on companies in the food industries, which must prepare for new reporting, compliance, and cooperation obligations with industry organizations. As countries committed to sustainability, Germany and Poland recognize the importance of reducing food waste and climate-friendly behavior. However, there is still a lot to be done – efforts are required from all actors along the food chain.

The event will bring together thought leaders, practitioners, and the public to build awareness and discuss successful solutions to reduce food waste and fight climate change.

Objectives:

Raise awareness about food waste as a climate and sustainability issue
Share information about strategies, best practices and tools as well as behavioral insights to reduce food waste
Showcase successful campaigns in Germany and Poland
Promote sustainable consumption in line with the UN SDGs (especially SDG 12 & 13)

Target Audience:

Policymakers, business associations and city officials
Environmental NGOs and activists
University teachers, university students, and curriculum developers
Food sector representatives (apps, retailers, food-industry, food banks)
General public and diplomatic community

Agenda

9:30 – 10:00 Arrival & Registration

Welcome coffee

10:00 – 10:05 Opening Remarks
N. N., representative from the German Embassy in Warsaw

10:05 – 11:25 1st Panel “Strategies on Reducing Food Waste in Germany and Poland” Challenges and opportunities in the context of reducing food waste along the entire value chain, particularly in light of the new requirements of the Waste Framework Directive?

Panel Discussion:

Moderator: N.N.

Panel Participants:

Julia Poczekaj, German Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity (BMLEH)
N. N., Polish Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
N. N., Polish Ministry of Climate and Environment
Andrzej Gantner, Polish Federation of Food Producers Employers' Association tbc
Regina Treutwein, Manager Federal Association of German Food Banks (Tafel Deutschland e.V.) tbc
prof. dr. hab. Danuta Kołożyn-Krajewska, Institute of Human Nutrition Sciences at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW) tbc,
Researchers of the PROM project which estimated the amount of food wasted across all stages of the food supply chain

11:25-11:40 Q&A with the audience

11:40-12:00 Networking coffee

12:00-13:30 2nd Panel “From Awareness to Action – Best practices in reducing food waste, with a particular focus on reducing waste in private households?”

How can different stakeholders, especially private households, be motivated to take action?

Presentation of platforms, action plans, voluntary agreements, campaigns, apps and other measures

Panel Discussion:

Moderator: N.N.

Panel Participants:

Prof. Dr. Nina Langen, Project Team DiFo pHH 2.0, Technical University of Berlin tbc
Kinga Mędrzycka - Coordinator Foodsharing Warsaw – municipal initiatives and networks of community fridge projects (tbc)
Torsten von Borstel, managing director United Against Waste – Kompetenzstelle Außer-Haus-Verpflegung (tbc)
Natalia Boitot, Vice Chair Working Group FoodVice Chair Working Group Food EUROCITIES, City of Warsaw
Mateusz Kowalczyk / Kuba Fryszczyn - Founders of Foodsi, Poland’s leading surplus food app. tbc
They partner with restaurants and retailers to reduce food waste via consumer-facing mobile technology.