Wisevoter
World

ReFED Praises Türkiye's Zero Waste Push at COP31

Dana Gunders urged countries to bring food loss and waste reduction into their national climate pledges during the UN summit in Türkiye.

Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Organic Food

Bold flat-color vector editorial illustration of a bread loaf, wheat grains, and a glass jar of grains on a pale stone surface, with a cracked eggshell.
Dana Gunders of the US nonprofit ReFED urged countries at the COP31 summit in Türkiye to put food waste reduction into their national climate pledges. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Dana Gunders, head of the US nonprofit ReFED, praised Türkiye's Zero Waste initiative and its leadership on food waste on the sidelines of the UN climate summit COP31. She urged countries to include food loss and waste reduction in their nationally determined contributions.

Why it matters

Food waste is a significant climate and resource issue, and placing it within national climate commitments could direct more policy attention and funding to prevention. Gunders' call targets international climate finance institutions, including the Green Climate Fund, to support such efforts.

ReFED, founded in 2015, reports that more than 300,000 people have used its website for resources. The US Food Waste Pact involves more than half of American grocery stores, which share and compare data to reduce waste; the source gives no figures on total waste volumes.

The players

Dana Gunders

Dana Gunders is the head of ReFED, a US-based nonprofit that provides businesses with data and resources to reduce food waste.

ReFED

ReFED is a US-based nonprofit founded in 2015 that helps businesses identify effective ways to reduce food waste.

Emine Erdogan

Emine Erdogan is the First Lady of Türkiye, credited with raising international attention to food waste.

The details

Gunders spoke on Monday at COP31 in Türkiye, crediting the Zero Waste Foundation and the annual Zero Waste Forum with showing the country's leadership, and credited First Lady Emine Erdogan with raising international attention to food waste. She also took part in a COP31 session titled 'Preventing Food Waste Before Consumption: Supply Chains and Surplus,' organized by WRAP in collaboration with ReFED.

Timeline

  1. Monday, November 9, 2026: Gunders speaks at COP31 in Türkiye about food waste and climate policy.

Market Landscape

Gunders' call positions food waste as a climate finance priority alongside existing mitigation programs run through the Green Climate Fund. The push reflects a growing effort to treat food loss as a measurable component of national emissions commitments.

Households and businesses can reduce food waste by planning purchases and using surplus food before it spoils. Participation in programs such as the US Food Waste Pact shows how grocers can share data to cut waste.

The takeaway

Reducing food waste is treated here as a climate issue, not just a retail one, and that framing may shape how governments and funders approach it. Individuals can start by buying only what they will use and planning meals around existing stock.

Further reading

For more on the broader food system, explore our Organic Food coverage.