GHG Reduction Potential

Definition:

The Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG) Reduction Potential of a solution is the net emissions reduction

that would result from the implementation of a particular solution as opposed to the food being

disposed of according to the status quo.

Master GHG Reduction Potential Equation:

GHG Reduction Potential = ( Status Quo GHG Footprint per Ton - Solution GHG Footprint per Ton ) * Solution Diversion Potential

In ReFED’s data model, the following calculations are repeated for every sector, state, and food type before any aggregation is done.

Table 3. Calculations Performed to Estimate GHG Reduction Potential of U.S. Food Waste Solutions

DATA ITEM	DATA SOURCE OR CALCULATION	EXAMPLE
Status Quo Upstream GHG Footprint per Ton of Surplus Food Going to Worse Destinations	Food Waste Monitor, GHG Factors developed by ReFED in partnership with Quantis[5],[1] See Appendix D for more information. The example calculations described here are the same approach that is used in the Insights Engine Impact Calculator: refed.com/insights-engine/impact-calculator	ReFED estimates that the status quo average upstream GHG footprint per ton of Prepared Foods being sent to “worse” destinations in the Florida Limited Service Mexican Foodservice sector in 2021 was: __solutions_example_upstream_ghg_footprint_for_worse_destinations__ MTCO2e per ton Note: “Worse” destinations means that the destination is lower priority than the destination that the solution would otherwise divert the food to. See Appendix C for a list of ReFED’s destination priorities. For this example, the solution diverts food to Donations, so “worse” destinations include anything from Animal Feed and below.
Status Quo Downstream GHG Footprint per Ton of Surplus Food Going to Worse Destinations	Food Waste Monitor, GHG Factors developed by ReFED in partnership with Quantis[5],[1]	ReFED estimates that the status quo average downstream GHG footprint per ton of Prepared Foods being sent to “worse” destinations in the Florida Limited Service Mexican Foodservice sector in 2021 was: __solutions_example_downstream_ghg_footprint_for_worse_destinations__ MTCO2e per ton
Upstream GHG Footprint per Ton for Food Waste Solution	GHG Factors developed by ReFED in partnership with Quantis	The Upstream GHG footprint factor for Donations of Prepared Foods in the Foodservice sector is: __solutions_example_upstream_ghg_footprint_for_solution__ MTCO2e per ton
Downstream GHG Footprint per Ton for Food Waste Solution	GHG Factors developed by ReFED in partnership with Quantis	The Downstream GHG footprint factor for Donations of Prepared Foods in the Foodservice sector is: __solutions_example_downstream_ghg_footprint_for_solution__ MTCO2e per ton
Annual Solution Diversion Potential	See Diversion Potential calculations.	ReFED estimates that ‘Donation Storage Handling & Capacity’ could divert 93.35 tons of Prepared Foods Catering Overproduction annually in the Florida Limited Service Restaurants Mexican Foodservice sector.
Upstream GHG Benefit for Food Waste Solution	= Tons Diverted * ( Status Quo Upstream GHG Footprint per Ton of Surplus Food Going to Worse Destinations - Upstream GHG Footprint per Ton for Food Waste Solution )	= 93.35 tons * ( __solutions_example_upstream_ghg_footprint_for_worse_destinations__ MTCO2e per ton status quo - __solutions_example_upstream_ghg_footprint_for_solution__ MTCO2e per ton for donations ) = __solutions_example_upstream_ghgs_avoided__ MTCO2e avoided
Downstream GHG Benefit for Food Waste Solution	= Status Quo Downstream GHG Footprint per Ton of Surplus Food Going to Worse Destinations - Downstream GHG Footprint per Ton for Food Waste Solution	= 93.35 tons * ( __solutions_example_downstream_ghg_footprint_for_worse_destinations__ MTCO2e per ton status quo - __solutions_example_downstream_ghg_footprint_for_solution__ MTCO2e per ton for donations ) = __solutions_example_downstream_ghgs_avoided__ MTCO2e avoided
GHG Reduction Potential of Food Waste Solution	= Upstream GHG Benefit + Downstream GHG Benefit	= __solutions_example_upstream_ghgs_avoided__ MTCO2e avoided + __solutions_example_downstream_ghgs_avoided__ MTCO2e avoided = __solutions_example_total_ghgs_avoided__ MTCO2e avoided Reminder: This example calculation is not the total GHG reduction potential for the solution. These calculations were repeated for every sector, cause, food type, and state before aggregating and summing the total GHG reduction potential for each solution.