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Technologies turning waste into food and feed have limited environmental benefits

Waste-to-nutrition pathways convert organic waste into food for people and livestock. Simulations of nine future scenarios in France reveal that the potential of five such pathways for reducing the environmental impacts of food and waste systems depends on process efficiencies, availability of low-carbon energy and the extent to which novel foods replace meat.

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Fig. 1: Determining when it is beneficial to transform feed-grade waste streams into novel food and feed.

References

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This is a summary of: Javourez, U. et al. Environmental mitigation potential of waste-to-nutrition pathways. Nat. Sustain. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-025-01521-z (2025).

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Technologies turning waste into food and feed have limited environmental benefits. Nat Sustain 8, 334–335 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-025-01522-y

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