Reducing Food Waste at Events: A Sustainability Success Story
Sustainability has evolved from a request to a requirement for many meetings and events. At M&IW, we’re passionate about the environment and the people and communities we live, work, and do business in. Our Sustainability Champion, Donna Collins, has been instrumental in establishing M&IW as a leader in event sustainability.
One of Donna’s many successes is M&IW’s partnership with Copia, an innovative surplus redistribution technology. Thanks to this partnership, unused meals can be donated to local nonprofits after events, reducing food waste and benefiting those in need in the local community.
“Food sustainability for events isn’t just a choice,” said Donna. “It’s a commitment to taking care of our planet, inspiring conscious conversations, and leaving a legacy of care on every plate.”
Learn more about our partnership with Copia and its impact as we share a recent success story.
Simplifying Food Donations
About Copia
Copia makes it as easy as possible to donate to local nonprofits in need. Copia’s advanced technology powers corporate dining, hotels, schools, restaurants, stadiums, and more to efficiently redistribute surplus food. Trusted by national brands across the US, Copia combats food insecurity and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by diverting food from landfills. With real-time analytics, Copia makes it easy to track and celebrate your impact seamlessly.
M&IW’s Partnership with Copia
M&IW’s partnership with Copia began in January 2024, and M&IW was sharing donations just 10 days after the partnership began. While our partnership is still young, it has already yielded incredible results. In 2024, we donated 5,006 meals after meetings and events. This equates to more than 6,000 pounds of food and saved 18.5 thousand pounds of CO2e emissions and 1.4 million gallons of water.
“We are so proud to be an M&IW sustainability partner,” said Paige Lowe, Vice President of Customer Success, Copia. “M&IW is leading the charge for events, challenging venues to be sustainable and make sure no food is wasted. The positive impact you can make on each local community in which you host events is invaluable.”
Partnership in Action: A Sustainable Success Story
M&IW recently supported Lesaffre’s Breadmaking Sales & Tech Meeting in Florida. At the conclusion of each day, all unused food was donated to a local Salvation Army thanks to M&IW’s partnership with Copia. In total, 154 pounds of food were donated, equating to 128 meals and saving 473 pounds of CO2e and 35,000 gallons of water.
Logistical Support
The program was held at the Henderson Beach Resort. The hotel’s catering and conference team were fully on board with the food donations, which truly makes a difference when organizing logistics.
“Food donations aren’t possible without the support and cooperation of the venue,” said Marcelo Casadei, Sr. Event Experience Manager, M&IW. “We manage the connections with local nonprofits, but the catering and kitchen staff are the ones packaging and loading the unused meals.”
For some venues, like The Henderson, facilitating food donations aligns naturally with their standard operations.
“At The Henderson, sustainability and community support are at the heart of our mission,” said Ashley Herrick, Catering and Conference Services Manager, Henderson Beach Resort. “Partnering [with M&IW] and Copia to donate our leftover banquet food was a natural extension of our commitment. Not only did this collaboration help us reduce food waste, but it also allowed us to make a meaningful impact in our community… [and extend] the positive influence of our events far beyond our guests… [We] are truly grateful for the opportunity to give back in such a special way.”
Community Impact
One of the benefits of diverting food from landfills is that it not only benefits the environment; it also makes a positive impact on the local community.
“[It was] a great experience,” said The Salvation Army Fort Walton Beach, the recipient of the program’s food donations. “The food was a great variety, and we have been able to use the donations for multiple different programs. We do free bingo every Thursday for our senior community, and everyone absolutely loved the shrimp boil! This weekend, we’re doing an event for the homeless and plan to provide breakfast using the eggs and potatoes. The sandwiches, potato salad, and pasta salad were great as well! We appreciate everything… [and] nothing went to waste.”
A Shared Commitment to CSR
“At Lesaffre, our mission is, ‘Working together to better nourish and protect the planet.’ In recent years, as a global company, we have focused on our Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives,” said M&IW customer Kelly Hoglund, Executive Sales Administrator, Lesaffre. “When planning my Breadmaking Sales & Tech Meeting with M&IW, I wanted to start incorporating Lesaffre’s three CSR pillars: 1. Caring for people, 2. Maintaining responsible relationships, and 3. Caring for our environment. Thankfully, M&IW’s existing partnership with Copia made that easy!”
M&IW’s expertise doesn’t stop at food donations. Our experienced team has extensive knowledge of best practices for sustainable, socially responsible events.
“The M&IW team also helped me to come up with creative ways to weave CSR throughout my meeting,” Kelly continued. “We had the director of the Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge as our guest speaker to provide insight on local wildlife and how to maintain and respect our environment. In lieu of branded gifts to my teams, we purchased recycled bracelets from 4Ocean, a charity focused on cleaning plastic and trash from the world’s oceans. With Lesaffre’s purchase, we helped to pull 300 pounds of trash! I look forward to continuing this work in partnership with M&IW. We are truly working together to better nourish and protect the planet.”
Prioritize Event Sustainability with M&IW
Partner with M&IW to simplify food donations at your events. Contact us to learn how our sustainability solutions can reduce your programs’ environmental impact, and experience the difference we make for sustainable meeting and event planning firsthand. Already an M&IW customer? Contact your Customer Success Manager.
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M&IW Contributors
Donna Collins
Sustainability Champion
Meetings & Incentives Worldwide, Inc.
Marcelo Casadei
Sr. Event Experience Manager
Meetings & Incentives Worldwide, Inc.