The group will install Winnow technology in its more than 100 hotels to prevent the waste of five million meals per year and stop emitting almost 8,000 tons of CO2 per year.

Iberostar Group’s goal is to reduce food waste by 50% in the first year the Winnow system is implemented, in line with its goal to send zero waste to landfill by 2025.

The move comes after the group committed itself to this zero-waste objective in 2020 with its own 2030 agenda, which also includes being carbon neutral by 2030.

Sabina Fluxa, vice-chair and chief executive of Iberostar Group, said reducing food waste is "key to meeting our 2030 goals".

"The value of food cannot be underestimated, and, at Iberostar, we want to ensure it is not wasted," she added.

"In addition to training our employees to address food waste, we have put in place this innovative system to reduce the amount of waste we produce without affecting the guest experience."

After successful pilot programs at hotels in Europe, the Caribbean, and Latin America, the company is now rolling out the technology globally across all hotels.
 
The Winnow systems implemented in kitchens know what they throw away, what they save, and how they can make smarter decisions based on data.

The kitchen staff, trained to work with the tool, use a tablet to identify discarded food, while a camera identifies food items (capable of capturing up to 600 food items). A scale measures the weight and sends a message to the chef, indicating the cost, weight, and quantity of food discarded.