The Waste Transformers at COP29: Addressing Food waste in sustainable financing
Lara van Druten, CEO of The Waste Transformers, participated as a panel member in the session "Sustainable Financing for Improved Solid Waste Management Systems" at COP29 in Baku. The session, organized by UN-Habitat and the African Clean Cities Platform (ACCP), brought together key leaders and innovators to discuss funding strategies for effective waste management.
The conversation was timely, as COP29, widely recognized as the "Finance COP," focused on addressing the critical question: Who will finance the solutions needed to combat climate change? This year’s summit held particular importance as it marked the final opportunity for nations to align their financial commitments with new targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
During the panel, Lara emphasized why tackling food waste must be a priority in the global fight against climate change. She shared insights into how The Waste Transformers turn food waste into valuable resources, such as green energy and organic fertilizers, reducing greenhouse gas emissions while creating circular economies. Lara highlighted that food waste alone accounts for a staggering percentage of global methane emissions—a gas 28 times more potent than CO₂.
She joined a distinguished group of panelists, including H.E. Fatima Maada Bio, First Lady of Sierra Leone; Dr. Akinyemi Akinyugha, representing the ACCP from Nigeria; Kazunao Shibata, Deputy Director General of JICA; and Christina Jäger, co-founder of Yunus Environment Hub. The session was moderated by Shiho Jinno of UN-Habitat. Together, they explored innovative partnerships and sustainable financing mechanisms that could improve waste management systems in cities across Africa and beyond.
Van Druten’s contributions underscored the need for both public and private sectors to step up investments in waste management solutions. She called for targeted financial mechanisms to prioritize technologies like biodigesters that transform waste streams into resources while actively combating climate change.
The session reaffirmed that addressing food waste is essential to achieving global climate goals, particularly as countries prepare to finalize their emissions reduction targets. The Waste Transformers remains committed to providing impactful, scalable solutions for a sustainable future.
About The Waste Transformers: The Waste Transformers is a Dutch cleantech pioneer, providing on-site innovative technologies to transform unavoidable food waste into sustainable energy and natural fertilisers, enabling local positive change.
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