Institution news
IMechE and Forum for the Future are today launching a major international project focused on finding the world's leading innovations in cold chain technology, packaging and ICT with real potential to achieve scalable food loss reductions in the supply chains of Asia-Pacific (APAC). In this powerful collaborative partnership, the technical excellence and independent engineering advice of the Institution melds with Forum’s unmatchable knowledge and skills in catalysing business transitions to sustainable futures, in order to meet a major sustainability challenge for the APAC region. The ultimate outcome of this exciting new project will be improved food security for citizens across APAC, with better nutritional outcomes and hunger reduction for the poor and disadvantaged, as well as enhanced livelihoods for farmers, their families and rural communities
The food security challenge is urgent in APAC, where the region’s supply chains are particularly inefficient – a poor match for the growing middle class and its increasing demand for fresh, perishable foods. The Asian Development Bank estimates regional food wastage, including both food losses (up to moment of sale) and consumer waste, at 37%. According to UN FAO’s Food Wastage Footprint, up to 90% of food wastage in APAC is pre-consumer food loss. Tackling this challenge will involve a transformation of existing food supply chains, including new ways of sustainably transporting, refrigerating and packaging food, as well as better communication and coordination amongst supply chain players.
Our project aims to catalyse this transition by helping connect APAC businesses with the innovations they need to reduce food losses and build the sustainable supply chains of the future. To both facilitate and accelerate the innovation transfer necessary to make real change happen we are searching the world for commercially proven technologies and methodologies with application potential in APAC, raising awareness of them within the region and connecting innovators with supply chain players that have the business foresight necessary for implementation. At the centre of this activity is a state-of-the-art web based mapping tool that enables us to create efficient and effective 24/7/365 connectivity between both groups across the globe through an open interactive world map of relevant food loss reduction opportunities.
A critical element in the success of this initiative is clearly the participation of businesses in APAC and innovators wherever they might be. To help maximise this participation we ask that you make relevant innovators you know aware of the project, encourage them to submit details of their solutions to us via the simple on-line form that can be found here: https://www.forumforthefuture.org/project/disrupting-food-logistics/overview, and similarly recommend to supply chain and logistics players that they make contact with us via g.fries@forumforthefuture.org.
In addition to the innovations map, key elements of the work include technical assessments by Institution members of the innovations, the weekly selection and publicising of an “Innovation of the Week”, and a flagship daylong event in Singapore on 29 November 2016 which will include a roundtable workshop with innovators and supply chain businesses as well as an awareness raising industry networking event.
IMechE and Forum will be working in Singapore with our sister professional body IMarEST, a great example of our new partnership collaborating on the ground to improve the world through engineering.