Zero Food Waste Certification

Waste management

The generation of waste is one of the most complicated environmental challenges currently faced by society. Neglecting or failing to manage waste properly has a negative impact on the environment, leading to the contamination of water, soil and air, affecting ecosystems and human health.

Prevention and reduction prioritisation, as well as good management allows waste to be minimised and converted into resources that contribute to the saving of raw materials. When waste is managed properly, it can be converted into resources that guarantee economic sustainability and have a positive effect on the conservation of natural resources and ecosystems. 

Resource management and Circular Economy

The Circular Economy model seeks to invert the current waste management pyramid, maximising preventative action and waste recovery (reduction, reuse, recycling and energy recovery). The Zero Waste certification is in-line with Circular Economy actions performed by the OECD, PNUMA (Agenda 2030), G20, European Union and Spain.

The AENOR Zero Waste certification recognises organisations that recover the various waste fractions they generate, within the defined scope, thereby avoiding the landfill as their ultimate destination.

This system does not imply generating zero waste, but rather the appropriate management of waste in order to reduce its generation, prepare it for reuse and/or transform it into raw materials to reintroduce it into the value chain.

AENOR Zero Food Waste Certification

Food waste is a global problem that, apart from generating environmental, social and economic problems, also raises ethical challenges, as 9% of the world's population suffers from hunger.

Given this situation, organisations and agents belonging to the agri-food chain need to highlight their food waste prevention and reduction programmes.

Resource management to avoid food waste

In response to this need, as part of the trusted platform "Combating Food Waste", AENOR offers its new Zero Food Waste certification solution, which will help organisations to:

• Transmit confidence to customers and consumers about their commitment to and management of food waste through the well-known AENOR mark.
• Quantify waste, set specific goals for its prevention and minimisation and assess the effectiveness of its management, thus increasing the efficiency of its production system and reducing costs.
• Align their objectives with European circular economy strategies.
• Contribute to meeting SDGs, such as SDG 12, "Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns," whose third goal is to "halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses, by 2030".