Initiative in Nagoya: Each establishment aims to recycle food waste with the premise of repurchase.
Five rival restaurant chains have joined forces to launch an initiative to recycle food waste generated at their stores in Nagoya. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the food recycling rate in the restaurant industry was 43% in the fiscal year 2017, lower than the 96% rate in the food manufacturing industry. With increasing societal concern over food waste issues, the collaboration of these five companies will serve as a litmus test for improving recycling rates.
The participating restaurant chains in the joint recycling initiative are Seven & i Food Systems, which operates family restaurants, Toridoll Holdings, a udon noodle restaurant chain, Matsuya Foods, known for its beef bowl dishes, Ringer Hut Japan, specializing in Nagasaki-style champon noodles, and Watami, a chain of izakaya pubs. A total of 38 stores operated by these five companies in Nagoya are participating in the initiative.
The Save Earth Foundation (SEF), a public interest corporation promoting resource recycling based in Ota-ku, Tokyo, has coordinated the efforts of the five companies. Kazuyuki Takabe of SEF explains that “one key point is how the collection is organized.” Typically, each company arranges for trucks to collect kitchen scraps and leftovers separately. With the collaboration of the five companies, the same truck can collect from different company stores in the neighborhood, resulting in increased operational efficiency per truck, as explained by Takabe.
There are also benefits for the restaurant chains themselves. Smaller stores tend to opt for waste incineration due to cost issues when dealing with smaller waste volumes. By collaborating with other companies, it becomes easier for smaller stores to participate.
A notable feature of the initiative by the five companies is that “repurchase is a premise.” Food waste collected from each store is processed into feed for chickens by Chubu Organic Recycling in Moriyama-ku, Nagoya. This feed is then given to chickens at San Egg Farm in Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture, and the eggs produced are used in cooking at the five company stores.
By repurchasing the eggs, the five companies can fulfill their responsibility for waste disposal. Additionally, recognizing the necessary expenses for recycling is another effective aspect. If the five companies pay appropriate costs, the recycling company can produce high-quality feed, ultimately leading to a stable supply of eggs. This circular process of converting food into feed is referred to as the “food recycling loop.”
source:The Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun Co., Ltd.
The joint recycling initiative of the five companies obtained certification for a “regeneration and reuse project” under the Food Recycling Law from the Ministers of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Environment, and Health, Labour and Welfare in July. This certification streamlines procedures and enables more efficient recycling.
Reducing food waste was highlighted in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted in 2015. In Japan, there has been increasing societal concern over food waste, leading to the enforcement of the “Food Loss Reduction Promotion Law” in October 2019.
In the fiscal year 2017, food waste in Japan amounted to 15.04 million tons, with the restaurant industry generating 560,000 tons, a relatively small portion, but lagging behind in recycling efforts. There are limitations to waste reduction at the individual company or store level, making collaboration with other companies a solution. Kazuyuki Takabe suggests that third-party coordination, such as that provided by SEF, is effective, noting that while it may be difficult for competing companies to collaborate in their core business areas, it becomes meaningful to cross boundaries for such initiatives.
