2019 has been a year of a lot of movement in Berlin. For Circular Berlin (CB) this reality also applies. Different projects, workshops and initiatives have been developed during the year in order to promote and enhance the vision of circular economy among the entrepreneur community in our beloved city.
On the 18th of July we kick-started our 2nd get together in Berlin at B-Part Am Gleisdreieck on the topic of food. In this little event we aimed to go forward with the results obtained during this year’s winter major session “Potentials of the circular economy for food and biomass flows in the capital region”
Representatives from different projects and companies including members of CB discussed and proposed a cooperative agenda that will allow various stakeholders and partners to integrate their vision and align it within a particular focus:
Action, cooperation, partnership, funding and implementation of circular strategies in the food sector in Berlin.
Following the results from the 26.02, participants integrated different perspectives to propose solutions to the challenges the food/gastronomy industry is facing. Among others;
- Improper operative practices leading to food waste,
- Lack of standards and guidelines to promote sustainability practices in kitchens,
- Consumers demand for regional food without understanding the context of logistics and supply,
- Growing demand for local food restricted by poor supply,
- Unpredictable demand that consequently leads to food waste
We agreed that the next are viable solutions that could counteract the situation caused by food waste and its associated issues:
- An Information platform with zero-waste/ circular guidelines for cooks and restaurants, and restaurant rating system based on a zero waste kitchen management criteria
- A digital marketplace that connects local farmers with local procurement communities.
There is a lot to do. The efforts of CB to empower this kind of cooperative ideas is just the beginning of a laborious process. It remains uncertain the ability to establish a working group that will define how to progress towards a zero food waste city.
We remain open to discussion and further development. We empower action, the talk has been done. We have devised opportunities that could be integrated into Berlin’s agenda to prevent food waste and food nutrients being lost in the chain. This is also an opportunity to empower circularity in the gastronomy sector, including innovation and entrepreneurship.
Circular Berlin possess the expertise to deliver viable and circular approaches to the topic of biomass, food and waste. Funding is available through our Berlin associate. However, we call for cooperation and action. It is part of our mission to partnership with forward-thinking organizations and make the circular economy possible.
The possibility to go forward and develop these ideas need the participation and dedication of committed partners. and the momentum to get hands on to work is ideal.
