UN Tourism and UNEP launch the “Recipe of Change” initiative to reduce food waste in tourism
UN Tourism and the United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP, on 30 March 2026, on the International Day of Zero Waste, placed the problem of food waste in tourism at the centre of the global debate and presented the “Recipe of Change” initiative, conceived as an operational framework for hotels, carriers, cruise lines, tour operators and other stakeholders who want to measure, reduce and publicly monitor the quantities of food that end up as waste. It is a move that comes at a time when international institutions are increasingly openly warning that food waste is no longer only a matter of costs and logistics, but also a climate, social and development issue. In practice, this means that tourism companies are no longer expected to provide only general statements about sustainability, but concrete data, targets and annual reporting on performance.
The new initiative was presented within the One Planet Network Sustainable Tourism Programme, and its starting idea is that ambitious global goals should finally be translated into everyday operational decisions in kitchens, buffet restaurants, hotel chains, resorts, air and cruise systems, and the supply chains that serve them. According to the programme materials, “Recipe of Change” connects food waste measurement, targeted loss reduction, changes in guest and employee behaviour, and annual reporting that should make it possible to compare results among participants. Such an approach is important because in the tourism sector the problem is often recognised declaratively, but without unified metrics, so comparisons and monitoring of real progress have so far been limited.
Why the problem of food waste in tourism has become a priority
UNEP data show that food discarded as waste is responsible for approximately 8 to 10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, while Sustainable Development Goal SDG 12.3 is aimed at halving per capita food waste at the retail and consumer levels by 2030. At the same time, the Food Waste Index Report 2024 states that a significant part of the world’s food waste is generated precisely in the food service segment, that is, in sectors closely linked to tourism, hospitality and travel. When this is combined with the fact that tourism relies on large quantities of food prepared in advance, buffet offers, seasonal peak loads and unpredictable demand, it becomes clear why international organisations see this sector as one of the places where rapid progress is possible.
The economic explanation is also important. Materials linked to the Global Roadmap for Reducing Food Waste in Tourism, developed by UN Tourism and UNEP, are based on the estimate that investment in preventing food waste can pay off several times over for companies. In other words, reducing waste is presented not only as a moral or environmental obligation, but also as a tool for increasing operational efficiency. In hospitality and catering, this means lower procurement costs, better inventory control, more precise portion planning, fewer write-offs and less pressure on waste management systems. For companies operating on thin margins, especially in a period of rising food, energy and logistics prices, such arguments become particularly important.
What exactly “Recipe of Change” brings
According to the description of the initiative published through the One Planet Network, “Recipe of Change” offers tourism a practical working model in several steps. The first is for companies to formally align their goals with the Global Roadmap for Reducing Food Waste in Tourism and with the broader SDG 12.3 target. The second is to measure the baseline, set their own food waste reduction target within 12 months, and then report on progress annually. The third element relates to operational and behavioural measures, from optimising buffets and menus to better procurement, planning and communication with guests. The fourth is the implementation of at least one annual campaign aimed at changing behaviour, whether through seasonal actions, guest education or a special programme during international days dedicated to food waste.
Such a structure shows that the organisers do not want to remain at the level of a symbolic gathering of major brands. The intention is to create a system in which signatories will have certain obligations, but also access to tools, templates and visibility at the international level. In practice, this can mean monitoring food leftovers in the kitchen, adjusting portion sizes, more precise demand forecasting, different food presentation at buffets, better management of surpluses, and connections with donation and redistribution models where this is regulatorily and logistically possible. The emphasis is therefore on not treating waste only at the end of the process, but on preventing it already at the planning and serving stage.
Launching the initiative on the day when the world talks about waste
It is no coincidence that the initiative was strongly promoted precisely on 30 March 2026, on the International Day of Zero Waste, whose theme this year is dedicated to food waste. On that occasion, UNEP and the UN-Habitat team warned that the world creates between 2.1 and 2.3 billion tonnes of municipal waste every year, while food is one of the most expensive and most harmful forms of resource waste because it simultaneously increases emissions, burdens land and water, and worsens pressure on food systems. In that context, tourism is a particularly visible sector: it relies on the guest experience, on abundance of offer and on uninterrupted availability, but precisely these business patterns often produce surpluses that are not consumed.
That is why “Recipe of Change” is not presented as a narrow campaign only for hotel kitchens, but as a broader platform that should connect governments, the private sector, chefs, technology solution providers and organisations that can help measure and standardise data. The very presentation agenda shows such a logic. Alongside opening messages from UN Tourism and UNEP, the programme included ministerial or senior representatives from several countries and a round table with tourism companies and partners from different segments of the industry. This sends the message that the problem of food waste is no longer a marginal topic for corporate sustainability departments, but an area in which public commitments, measurable results and cooperation between policy and the market are expected.
Who is joining and why this goes beyond the hotel sector
According to the programme of the global round table, the first partners mentioned include major international actors such as Accor, Club Med, Six Senses, Ponant, TUI, Iberostar, Radisson, easyJet, easyJet holidays, Grupo Posadas and ITC Hotels, as well as organisations such as WRAP. This combination itself shows that the initiative is not aimed only at traditional hotels. The initiative also recognises cruise companies, carriers, tour operators, booking platforms, consulting and measurement organisations, and individuals with influence on consumer habits, including chefs and content creators.
This is important for two reasons. The first is that a large part of food waste is not generated only in the kitchens of luxury hotels, but across the entire tourism service chain, from capacity planning to catering and guest experience management. The second is that consumer behaviour does not change exclusively through internal company rulebooks. Clear signals to guests are also needed: how to order reasonably, why smaller portions are sometimes more effective, why “abundance” does not necessarily mean more waste, and how service design can reduce food waste without compromising the quality of the experience. This is precisely why the initiative combines operational changes with behaviour-focused campaigns.
Example from practice: from pilot campaigns to wider application
As one of the concrete implementation examples, the programme highlighted the “Green Ramadan” campaign, which Hilton is carrying out in cooperation with Winnow and within the broader Recipe of Change approach. Previous results of Hilton’s campaigns, reported by both the company itself and partner organisations, showed that real-time waste measurement, monitoring buffet leftovers and adjusting the offer can lead to a noticeable reduction in the quantity of food thrown away. In the latest announcements related to this year’s International Day of Zero Waste, UNEP additionally highlighted that such business practices are becoming an important part of the broader shift towards circular food systems.
For the tourism sector, this is an important message because it shows that the initiative is not starting from zero. It is trying to bring together experiences that already exist in certain chains and turn them into a model that can be expanded. If international companies begin to use similar measurement tools, similar reporting templates and similar guest-facing campaigns, then the rest of the market also gets a more concrete standard. In other words, “Recipe of Change” can serve as a kind of shortcut: instead of everyone rediscovering which measures work, the sector gets a common framework, examples and a learning platform.
Broader effect: from business cost to a matter of food security
Reducing food waste in tourism also has broader consequences than hotel balance sheets alone. When food is thrown away, not only the purchase value and the work invested in preparing meals are lost, but also the energy, water, transport, land and emissions associated with the entire production chain. That is why international organisations are increasingly linking the issue with food security, climate policy and more rational use of resources. In a world in which hundreds of millions of people still do not have stable access to sufficient quantities of food, political and ethical pressure on sectors that produce large surpluses is becoming ever stronger.
In this sense, tourism has a dual responsibility. On the one hand, it is an economic sector that depends heavily on local food chains, agriculture, water and energy. On the other hand, tourism shapes the consumption habits of millions of people who, through travel, also adopt certain expectations of what “good service” means. If the industry manages to show that a quality guest experience does not have to rely on excessive production and food waste, the effect may be greater than merely reducing costs within a few companies. The perception of the service itself may also change, especially in the buffet and all-inclusive segments that for years have been associated with the idea that surplus is a sign of quality.
Will voluntary commitments be enough
The key question for the further development of the initiative is how quickly voluntary promises will turn into measurable results. Previous experience with sustainability in tourism shows that the sector often accepts declarations and campaigns, but that real change is uneven. This is precisely why the emphasis on measurement, target-setting and annual reporting is important. Without data, every claim of “greener” business remains a marketing slogan. With data, however, space opens up for comparisons, efficiency assessment and pressure from investors, regulators and consumers.
“Recipe of Change” could therefore become a relevant test for the entire sector: can tourism show in a relatively short period that sustainability is not just an addition to brand communication, but an integral part of the business model. If the number of signatories expands, and the published results show real savings and smaller quantities of food thrown away, the initiative could become one of the more important international mechanisms for moving closer to the SDG 12.3 target by 2030. Otherwise, it will remain just another well-conceived platform without a sufficiently strong effect on the ground. For now, however, it is clear that UN Tourism and UNEP have framed the problem much more directly than before: food waste in tourism is no longer treated as a secondary operational surplus, but as a global challenge that demands measurable changes in one of the world’s most visible industries.
Sources:- One Planet Network / Global Roundtable – official description of the event of 30 March 2026 and presentation of the “Recipe of Change” initiative (link)- One Planet Network / Food Systems & Recipe of Change – description of the initiative’s goals, signatories’ commitments and the list of partners stated in the round table programme (link)- One Planet Network / Recipe of Change Engagement Pack – summary of the operational model, measurement, reporting and implementation tools (link)- UNEP / Food Waste Index Report 2024 – official overview of global data on food waste and progress towards SDG 12.3 (link)- UNEP / Food loss and waste – official data on the share of food waste in global greenhouse gas emissions (link)- UNEP / International Day of Zero Waste 2026 – official context of this year’s theme dedicated to food waste (link)- FAO SDG Data Portal – official definition of target 12.3 on halving food waste by 2030 (link)- Hilton / Travel with Purpose – example of implementing food waste reduction measures through the Green Ramadan campaign (link)
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