As you take an evening stroll in the beautiful French Concession near the restaurants, take a look at the waste bins and allow the fact that Shanghai alone produces more than 2,000 tons of food waste every day arise in your mind.

Join us this Friday, June 15, as June Zhang, sustainability consultant at Collective Responsibility, will discuss the magnitude of the food waste issues in urban China, Shanghai's food waste management systems, and challenges and opportunities for businesses to properly handle food waste.

China has undergone rapid urbanization within the last decade, with double-digit economic growth and new urbanites entering the middle class, and in order to feed the urban population and meet the demand for food diversification, China is increasing its food production, importation, and consumption. While China's agricultural reforms have almost doubled the production and consumption of grains and produce, food imports continue to be on the rise.

However, food is not valued properly these days, especially for urbanities who have fast-paced lifestyles but little connection to nature and their food's origin. With the long-lasting cultural tradition of over-ordering and hosting extravagant banquets, Chinese consumers continue to over-order and throw away uneaten food.

At Collective Responsibility, June has authored a report, which examines the food waste management system in urban China. Using Shanghai as a case, she identifies lessons and experiences from which other Chinese cities can learn when it comes to dealing with post-consumer food waste that is thrown away by consumers at restaurants, schools, and enterprise canteens. The report will be published on Collective Responsibility's website soon, and will be available for all to view.

Fresh Start warmly welcomes all to attend, listen, and ask questions.