The first-of-its-kind collaboration will see businesses able to prevent same-day surplus food from becoming waste as part of Biffa and Olio’s aligned mission to prevent food waste and enable the UK’s circular economy.
Every year in the UK billions of potential meals end up in the bin, while 11.3 million people struggle to feed themselves.
Through Olio’s platform, Biffa customers have been able to track the meals, water and emissions savings as a result of redistribution. An initial trial across 25 sites at Nando’s, Caffè Nero and Nisa has already delivered an impact.
Amy Hooper, innovation manager at Biffa, said: "We’re constantly looking for innovative ways to prevent surplus food from becoming waste in the first place in our mission to enable the UK’s circular economy by reducing waste.
"It’s been an absolute pleasure working with Olio, and we are so excited to be launching this partnership. By joining forces, our unique collaboration enables us to move more food up the waste hierarchy than ever before, helping our customers hit their sustainability goals while saving them money by reducing food waste.
“What sets this initiative apart is that businesses can tackle same-day food surplus, track the positive impact of their contribution, and access end-to-end food surplus and waste management solutions all in one place. Along with Company Shop Group as part of the wider Biffa group, customers will have access to a great range of options to manage their food waste and surplus sustainably with tangible social impact tracking.”
Olio’s Food Waste Heroes will see the on-site surplus get to the hands of those locally who need it, while hospitality businesses will benefit from consolidated surplus food and sustainable waste management services.
Volunteers take that food home and upload it to Olio’s app, so people nearby can request and collect it. Usually, food finds a new home in as little as 30 minutes.
Saasha Celestial-One, co-founder and chief operating officer at Olio, added: “We’re so proud to announce our new partnership with Biffa, which is the first of its kind in the commercial waste management sector. Together, we’re able to reduce the weight of good, edible food ending up in Biffa bins, and make sure it feeds local families instead.
“Olio and Biffa are 100% aligned on our mission to build a future without waste, and we’ve been really encouraged to see the results from our trials across Caffè Nero, Nando’s and Nisa locations over the past 12 months. We’re incredibly grateful to the whole team at Biffa, store staff at our trial locations, and Olio’s volunteers for getting our partnership off to such a flying start.”