Every year, global food waste amounts to $600 billion, which represents 33 to 40 percent of total food production. In Italy, too, according to data compiled by Coldiretti, a family wastes an average of 67 kilograms of still-edible food each year. At the same time, the UN estimated that in 2021, 828 million men and women went hungry, and 3.1 billion people lived in food-insecure conditions.

The fight against food waste and food poverty will be at the heart of the initiative that the Guido Carli University will present during the Luiss Festival 4 Sustainability. The event will take place on the Viale Romania Campus on Wednesday, May 24, at 5:30 PM, on the final day of the Sustainable Development Festival promoted by ASVIS. In fact, in collaboration with the Banco Alimentare del Lazio, Luiss will launch a collection point for long-shelf-life food products to be donated to families in need, engaging students, faculty, staff, and the entire university community. This is an event dedicated to solidarity that will be held monthly starting in September.

As the Director General of Luiss, Giovanni Lo Storto, explained: “Our university is at the forefront of issues related to sustainability, inclusion, and combating waste. Through our collaboration with the Food Bank, which kicks off today, we're also aiming to encourage our students to think “broadly” and inclusively—considering not only their own experiences and contexts but also the larger system they're part of. This education, therefore, aims to be the foundation for serving the entire community.”

Thanks to its investments in ESG, Luiss is now the nineteenth most sustainable university in the world and the top university in Italy in the 'Energy and climate change' category according to the UI GreenMetric World University Ranking 2022. The six criteria considered by the ranking (setting and infrastructure, energy and climate change, waste, water, transportation, education & research) have placed Luiss among the top 20 greenest universities in the world out of the 1,050 assessed, climbing over 200 positions since 2018.

Finally, the focus on food as a resource to be preserved will also be the theme of the 14th edition of the Non Sprecare Award, which is dedicated precisely to the fight against food waste. The competition, conceived by Antonio Galdo and promoted by Luiss Guido Carli University in partnership with the ACEA Group, aims to gather and promote sustainable ideas and best practices to combat waste. It is open to a wide range of participants, including companies, institutions, associations, schools and universities, young people under 35, and startups. To participate in the next edition, you can submit your proposal by Monday, October 30, 2023, at the latest, by applying on the website https://www.nonsprecare.it/premio.