In a successful endeavor conducted in collaboration with the U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP) West Asia and food tech firm Winnow, Hilton unveiled a 61 percent drop in food wastage in its three primary Middle Eastern hotels during this year’s Ramadan. Hilton’s project aims to serve as a model for similar initiatives to combat food wastage by other organizations.

Emma Banks, Vice President of Food and Beverage Strategy and Development at Hilton, emphasized the need for transitioning towards a circular system, stating, “We exist in a linear economy where the process is all about take, make, and waste, why not strive for a closed loop — a circular economic cycle?”

The recently published 2021 State of Food Waste in West Asia Report by UNEP reveals food waste increasing between 25 to 50 percent during religious and communal celebrations in the Middle East. Hilton’s initiative leveraged the messaging from the UNEP West Asia Recipe of Change Sustainable Ramadan Campaign, which aims to instigate behavioral changes towards food wastage, and Winnow’s artificial intelligence system, designed to measure food waste.

As an outcome of the campaign, Hilton saved 7,628 pounds of food and US$41,597 between the first four weeks of Ramadan, achieving a remarkable 61-percent cut in food waste.

Marc Zornes, the Co-Founder and CEO of Winnow, underscored the importance of understanding what is being wasted and its scale, stating, “if you know what’s being discarded and can track it, even minor adjustments can have substantial impacts in reducing food wastage.”

The campaign’s success was fueled by Winnow‘s touchless system, which autonomously recorded both the weight and an image of the wasted food during Ramadan. Zornes emphasized that distinguishing the amount and type of food wasted is crucial to an effective food waste reduction strategy.

The campaign also led to a critical breakthrough for Winnow by allowing the first collection of comprehensive data on pre-consumer food wastage (discarded during preparation) and post-consumer (left behind after meal completion). This data played a pivotal role in optimizing the campaign’s efforts.

An instance is when the campaign identified excessive bread wastage at the hotels, leading Hilton’s kitchens to shift towards serving fresh bread only on request. This small change triggered a significant drop in post-consumer food waste, according to Banks.

David Jackson, Director of Marketing and Public Affairs at Winnow, busted the common myth that sustainability efforts compromise customer experience. He highlighted that accurate data could help enhance customer experience while reducing food waste and boosting environmental efforts.

Hilton joined hands with UNEP to launch Sustainable Ramadan messages at the buffets, encouraging diners to make “climate-conscious choices.” Labels focusing on plant-based meals and the carbon footprint of different dishes expanded the efforts.

According to Banks, diners appreciated the low-key and respectful approach, which proved educational. Composting and donating food locally and various preservation techniques were also employed to enhance the initiative’s impact further.

Hilton is already looking ahead to propagate the Green Ramadan initiative to all its relevant hotels across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa by 2024. Banks asserted that they have shown that buffet formats can be made more sustainable, and it just requires taking the initiative, saying, “People need to be prepared to double down and simply make it work.”

In light of the successful Green Ramadan campaign, Zornes expressed his hope that it serves as a global template for minimizing food waste during various religious functions and is not limited to Ramadan. Ahead of COP28 in Dubai, Winnow is heavily investing in spotlighting the immense potential of comprehensively addressing food waste. “We are truly pushing boundaries to show what’s possible and create proof points,” said Zornes.