Completing the diagnosis is not the end of the process. It is the point where RULESSWASTE begins to move from understanding the problem to designing responses.
The results of D2.1 provide a clearer view of the territories, the actors involved, the perceived hotspots and the barriers that must be considered in the next phases of the project.
This is especially relevant because food waste is not generated by one actor alone. It is shaped by interactions between households, businesses, hospitality, retail, producers, social organisations and public authorities.
From hotspots to intervention opportunities
The diagnosis identifies four relevant hotspot typologies across the territories: hospitality and food service, local retail and distribution, households and seasonal agricultural surplus. These hotspots do not represent isolated problems, but parts of a wider food system that need coordinated responses.
For this reason, the project will not rely on one single type of action. The next steps will combine digital coordination, education, awareness and local collaboration.
Designing tools that respond to real needs
The diagnosis also provides direct inputs for the RULESSWASTE platform.
The platform will be designed to support coordination among actors, register operational information, facilitate monitoring and provide data that can later be used for evaluation.
This is particularly important because several indicators, such as kilograms of surplus avoided or redistributed, need to be built during implementation through systematic data capture.
A collaborative transition
The next phase will require continued collaboration between project partners and local actors.
The objective is to transform diagnostic evidence into practical, feasible and socially accepted actions: proximity-based solutions, training activities, awareness campaigns and coordination mechanisms adapted to each territory.
RULESSWASTE now moves from asking where food waste happens to designing how it can be reduced.
Because the value of a diagnosis lies in what it enables next.
