Abstract

As global food demand grows, the limited availability of natural resources exacerbates environmental and food security challenges. Household food waste is a major yet underexplored issue, contributing to inefficiencies, economic losses, and environmental harm. This study applies the Environmental-Economic Footprint (EN-EC) index to assess household food waste in Ireland. By integrating environmental and economic data, this index facilitates a comprehensive dual-perspective evaluation of food waste impacts. Data were collected from 1000 Irish households, analyzing waste patterns across 12 food categories. Environmental impacts were quantified using global warming potential (GWP) and water footprint (WF), while economic costs were based on waste generation and disposal. The EN-EC index synthesizes these parameters to facilitate informed decision-making. On average, Irish households reported approximately 966 g (0.97 kg) of edible food waste per week, equivalent to around 50 kg annually per household. This amount results in substantial associated impacts, including greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption, quantified through literature-based footprint coefficients. Red meat, particularly beef, contributes disproportionately to environmental and economic burdens despite its relatively lower waste volume. A 50% reduction in meat waste could cut CO2 emissions by 2.5 kg, water use by 563.50 L, and costs by €3623.48. These insights equip policymakers with targeted strategies to mitigate food waste, aligning with global sustainability goals.

Keywords

carbon and water footprint, economic costs, EN-EC index, environmental impacts, food waste, resource management

Publication Date

2025-01-01

Publication Title

Sustainability (Switzerland)

Volume

17

Issue

24

Deposit Date

2026-11-13

Funding

This work was supported by the Irish Research Council [Project ID: COALESCE/2022/804] under the framework of the FORWARD project (Food Waste in Ireland—Assessment, Environmental & Economic Burden, and Mitigation Strategies).

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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