Food waste is rescued most actively in the north
More in the South - Better in the North
The most diligent food waste rescuers are found in Northern Finland. In Kittilä, Rovaniemi, and Vaasa, the sales percentage of offered portions is the highest, over 80%, meaning ResQ Club operates most efficiently there. In terms of quantity, the most portions are rescued in Helsinki, Tampere, and Turku. According to ResQ Club's extensive customer survey (2023), food waste is purchased mainly due to its affordable price and the ease of buying.
ResQ Club aims to solve 50% of the food chain's waste
The national Food Waste Week, launched by the Consumer Association, will be celebrated from September 23-29, 2024. The entire food chain's waste in Finland is estimated to be around 400 million kilograms annually (Kuluttajaliitto 2021). So far, ResQ Club has focused on reducing food waste in food services and stores, which account for about 30% of Finland's food industry waste.
However, our goal is to offer the ResQ Club service to earlier stages of the food chain, to industrial operators. With this addition, the service can provide a solution that covers up to 50% of food waste. In the summer of 2024, ResQ Club launched the new ResQ Kotikulma service for industrial operators in the Helsinki metropolitan area. The trial started with the first fruit and vegetable wholesaler in June, and so far, nearly 6,000 kg of fruits and vegetables at risk of waste have been purchased.
Flower waste is now almost as large as food waste
Flower waste can already be compared to food waste. According to estimates from Finnish flower shops and wholesalers depending on the season, 2-20% of stock goes to waste. Globally, about 40% of cut flowers are discarded in the supply chain before they even reach consumers' vases. When flowers and plants end up in bio-waste, the climate and environmental burden caused during their cultivation, delivery, and storage is generated in vain.
A desired solution to reduce flower waste
The Finnish growth company and food waste app, ResQ Club, expanded its operations from food to flowers to offer a solution for both flower-selling shops and flower lovers.
“We wanted to tackle this problem in addition to food waste. Since last summer, we have been testing the sale of surplus flowers with a few shops. The feedback was so positive that we decided to permanently include flowers in our selection. Now, more than 30 flower shops across Finland are involved, and grocery stores also sell flowers through ResQ. The sale of surplus plants is currently being tested in Sweden with the country's largest flower shop chain, Blomsterlandet,"
says Sebastian Wikström, CEO of ResQ Club.
Sustainability strongly present in the daily life of flower shops
Flower shops have been pioneers and have already actively addressed the waste problem. Skilled florists strive to prevent surplus from occurring, and flower shops have long sold surplus bouquets to their customers. However, ResQ Club is a way to reach new audiences and renew the industry.
Minna Alanko, entrepreneur of Kukkakauppa Kastanja in Naantali's center:
“Cut flowers generate a bit more waste than potted plants due to their short sales time and fragility. Surplus seasonal plants also cause some waste. Last autumn, I noticed that one of the familiar flower shops mentioned being part of ResQ Club, and I immediately decided to contact them to see if my shop could join as well. Joining has benefited us by bringing new customers, primarily for purchases made through ResQ, but they have also discovered my shop otherwise. Additionally, we no longer have to throw plants and flowers into the compost almost at all. To consumers rescuing flowers through ResQ, I want to say a warm thank you!"
Grocery stores can also sell flowers at risk of waste through ResQ.
“Flowers are a good addition to ResQ's service for us as well, as flowers generate quite a lot of waste. Often, surplus flowers are not unusable, even though they are removed from sale due to some minor defect. Customers have received these new ResQ products well,"
says Harri Niskanen, a shopkeeper of four K-Markets in Tampere and Ylöjärvi (K-Market Pohtola, Siivikkala, Kuru, and Asuntila).
Waste is now acceptable to everyone - price and ease of purchase attract
So far, the Finnish ResQ Club, founded in 2015, has focused on reducing food waste by selling surplus portions from restaurants, cafes, grocery stores, and hotels to consumers through a mobile app at a discounted price. There are already nearly 3,000 partners and over 1.1 million registered users. The service has rescued over 13 million surplus products from ending up in the trash. ResQ Club operates in Finland, Sweden, Estonia, and Germany.
More information:
Sebastian Wikström, CEO
+358 50 436 8694
sebastian@resq-club.com
ResQ Club's media bank: https://www.resq-club.com/fi/press-and-media
More about ResQ Club:
Website: https://www.resq-club.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/resqclubglobal/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/resqclub/
