The implications of food waste generation on climate change: The case of Greece

• The GHG burden from food losses in Greece is estimated.
• GHG emission factors for food items were extracted from international databases.
• Food waste generated by Greek households is measured at 98.9 kg/inh./y.
• Total emissions of 5672.5 Gg of CO2 eq. are associated with food waste in Greece.

Food waste is becoming an increasingly significant global issue due to its economic, social and environmental implications. In addition, food waste relates to climate change since food originates from agriculture and ends up as waste while energy is consumed during its life cycle stages. The aim of this paper is the estimation of the GHG emissions associated with food waste generation in Greece. The scope of the research includes both the emissions associated with the production of food and those associated with the management of food waste. In order to assess the food waste generation from Greek households a field research with the use of food waste diaries was conducted. Based on the aforementioned measurement, the FAO food balance sheet of Greece for 2009, and relevant GHG emissions data found in international databases and literature sources, an estimation of the GHG emissions associated with food waste in Greece has been conducted. The results indicate that approximately 100 kg of food waste per person are generated annually, of which approximately 30 kg per person are avoidable. Moreover, the calculations of the present research reveal that emissions of 5672.5 Gg of CO2 eq. are associated with food waste in Greece.

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