Enterprise Singapore launches new roadmap to guide F&B industry on sustainability journey

28 November 2024

On 8 November 2024, Enterprise Singapore (“EnterpriseSG”) announced the launch of the Sustainability Playbook for Food & Beverage Companies to help them embark on their sustainability journey. The playbook is part of a series of sustainability playbooks supported by the Enterprise Sustainability Programme.

The playbook, developed in consultation with the food & beverage (“F&B”) industry and solution providers, guides companies to be more sustainable in three key areas - food waste, packaging waste, and greenhouse gas emissions.

The playbook outlines a three-stage roadmap to guide F&B companies in developing capabilities progressively, starting with solutions that are easier to adopt. Companies can tailor the approach and implement solutions based on their specific needs and resource availability. The three areas are:

  • Account: Companies can first conduct audits to measure their food waste, packaging waste, and emissions. Such audits establish a baseline for companies to identify critical issues and areas for improvement in operations, track progress over time, and evaluate the effectiveness of implemented solutions.
  • Avoid: The optimum approach to managing waste is to prevent generating unnecessary waste. The playbook includes measures that can minimise waste generation at source, leading to more sustainable operations and potential cost savings. For example, the use of technology to forecast demand and aid inventory planning, or implementing flexible food portion sizes and redesigning menus to include versatile ingredients that can be used across multiple dishes.
  • Adjust: The playbook provides suggestions to (i) reduce unavoidable waste and emissions, and (ii) as recover value from food waste through valorisation. This can potentially help companies create new products and revenue streams. Energy-efficient equipment can also help reduce emissions, while companies can consider donating and redistributing surplus food.

Reference materials

The following materials are available on the EnterpriseSG website www.enterprisesg.gov.sg: