The cost of waste
Every year, billions of dollars worth of food is left unsold and thrown out, leading to huge environmental impacts such as water pollution, soil erosion, and greenhouse gas emissions. Specifically, when food decomposes in landfills, it generates methane, a greenhouse gas that is at least 27x more potent than carbon dioxide.
In addition, any food that is thrown out means that the resources (water, land, energy) used to produce, transport, and handle that food is also wasted. The cost of food waste to the environment is staggering — it accounts for 8% of all global GHG emissions, and if it was a country, it would be the third largest GHG emitter behind the US and China.