Did you know that retailers sometimes reject truckloads of food even though the most of the delivery is still edible?
Rejected shipments can happen due to incorrect orders, damaged products, or other reasons. With few donation options and a financial need to get back on the road as quickly as possible, many truck drivers dumped rejected food shipments at landfills.
This is certainly a tragic waste… but what does it have to do with the events industry?
I was reminded last week of a program that was created to solve this problem, and I see it as a great model for what’s possible in the meetings & events industry.
The Indy Food Drop program informs truck drivers about the locations, storage capacity, and after-hours delivery options at food banks. This info allows drivers to quickly find an agency that can accept rejected food, day or night.
The receiving agencies have also been educated about drivers’ needs, so they are prepared to help drivers unload efficiently and get back on the road. The program has been such a success that it is now expanding throughout the state of Indiana.
I love the story of Indy Food Drop because it shows the power of collaboration. Both truck drivers and hunger relief agencies saw the missed opportunity in rejected loads of food, and they worked together to create a system that met each stakeholder’s needs.
It would have been easy for the trucking industry to say, “We’d like to donate food, but food banks aren’t open when our drivers need them, so there’s nothing we can do.”
Instead, they collaborated with food banks and found that many were willing to implement after-hours delivery plans in order to receive such valuable food donations. Companies with warehouses also got involved and were willing to serve as temporary storage facilities for donated food.
This type of program can be a great model for the events industry. We all face roadblocks when it comes to planning our events more sustainably. However, instead of letting those roadblocks stop us, we can use them as a starting point for creating a plan that works for everyone involved.
When we work together, we all get to share in the results that would have been difficult for any single partner to achieve alone.
Just as everyone involved with Indy Food Drop can be proud of feeding thousands of people and preventing tons of landfill waste, every stakeholder of a sustainable event can enjoy a positive brand boost from their collective results, as well as pride in doing good for their environment and community.
Event waste is a problem, but it’s also an opportunity. Who can you work with to start moving ideas forward?
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