Dissertation
Towards a Circular Food System: Global Resource Losses, Waste Typologies, and Valorization Pathways
Food waste is a defining inefficiency of the modern food system, with profound implications for resource use, climate change, and circular economy transitions. This dissertation examines food waste through two complementary lenses: the prevention of avoidable food waste and the valorization of unavoidable food waste.
- Author
- A. Coudard
- Date
- 16 September 2025
- Links
- Thesis in Leiden Repository
It finds that avoidable food waste, driven by consumer behavior, results in substantial losses of energy, water, and agricultural land, undermining global sustainability goals. Halving such waste could deliver immediate environmental benefits and unlock further climate gains through land restoration. At the same time, unavoidable food waste, comprising inedible residues such as peels, shells, and bones, emerges as a globally significant but underutilized resource stream. Nearly half remains unmanaged, despite its potential as a stable feedstock for bioenergy, bio-based materials, and high-value compounds. Byq uantifying 5.7 billion tonnes of unavoidable food waste produced globally, this thesis identifies both the scale of the challenge and regionally tailored valorization opportunities. Together, the findings highlight that reducing avoidable waste and valorizing unavoidable residues are not competing strategies, but mutually reinforcing. Addressing both is essential for reorienting the global food system toward one that is more efficient, circular, and resilient.