Rome airports team up with Too Good To Go in an initiative against food waste

Sep 27 2024 Travel trends

Rome's airports have turned to the Danish Too Good To Go, an advocate for reducing leftover food, in the fight against waste. Aeroporti di Roma (ADR), the company that manages Fiumicino and Ciampino airports, announced a partnership that would change the approach of travelers and airport workers toward issues of nutrition and sustainability.

Under the partnership, passengers flying out of Rome would now be able to purchase unsold food from 32 eateries as part of the program. The food waste-fighting company, Too Good To Go, has made great strides in helping reduce food waste. This year, already, more than 121 million meals have been saved - an increase of 46 percent over 2022. That's gargantuan environmental pluses — hundreds of millions of liters of water saved, tens of thousands of tons of CO2 emissions avoided.

Responsible consumption culture

"We are really excited about the collaboration," said Mirco Cerisola, the country manager of Too Good To Go in Italy, restating the shared commitment to not wasting food. The project is not just a solution to food surplus, but it is also about the bigger goals of sustainability and, more so, the Sustainable Development Goals put up by the United Nations.

The partnership extends beyond simple consumer transactions. It seeks to make the passengers and even the airport operators aware of the fact that one should not waste food and inculcate a habit of responsible consumption. By the end of the year, rescuing 12,000 meals, ADR sees a very important reduction in CO2 emissions, water use, and land, therefore contributing very much to its objectives of sustainability.

The project, in the words of Marilena Blasi, ADR's Chief Commercial Officer, is based on the spirit of cooperation and places strong emphasis on a joint commitment toward environmental responsibility. ADR's engagements toward sustainability are through ambitious objectives and effective steps concretely taken, such as the amount of waste diverted to recovery treatment plants and investment in a composting infrastructure.

Rome airports to introduce Too Good To Go services

Equally important, the introduction of services to the airports in Rome is another very important environmental milestone with all signs of becoming a gateway for further global expansion. With 17 subsidiaries all over the world and an exploding user base, Too Good To Go has an effect far beyond the borders and presents itself as a very practical solution to tackle food waste globally.

Geographically this cooperation acquires a great strategic importance at the entry in Rome, cradle of the culinary tradition. This was evidently enough for the core: such an average per capita waste of food, which amounted to 30 kg in the previous year, had to be addressed proactively. Just like the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, Goal 12 of sustainable consumption and production, ADR and Too Good To Go are leaders in the fight against the wastage of foods.

Innovative solutions and collective action

Summing up the urgency of the issue of food waste, Too Good To Go CEO Mette Lykke said it was one of the "dumbest ecological challenges." But then, when this innovative solution and the spirit of collaboration actions become a bit common, like this path-breaking partnership between Rome's airports and Too Good To Go, one starts harboring hopes for a future that is more just and sustainable.

The airports in Rome have an accountability to global challenges. Each meal saved is a step toward a healthy planet and a good future.