Turning words into action with “More Love, Less Food Waste”
To raise awareness and educate citizens about the issue of food waste, we organised free workshops led by renowned chefs as part of the #BirajZeleno initiative.
In Croatia, approximately 400,000 tonnes of food are wasted annually, while 20% of the population lives at risk of poverty and social exclusion. This contrast highlights the need for stronger education and community engagement in the fight against food waste. In the fourth season of the #BirajZeleno 2023 educational initiative, Nestlé approached this challenge from a completely new angle: with concrete action and direct citizen involvement.
The campaign’s goal was to raise awareness of food waste and encourage tangible, everyday behavioural changes through education. Strategically, the aim was to create a campaign that allowed Nestlé to actively contribute to sustainability and environmental protection in a context where ecological awareness is still developing. Therefore, the initiative focused on education and practical actions, addressing food waste through prevention and hands-on learning.
The campaign featured 13 free workshops for citizens at Aspira Polytechnic, in collaboration with the Zagreb Culinary-Tourism School, led by renowned domestic chefs and campaign ambassadors, including Mate Janković. Nestlé became the first food company in Croatia to organise this type of citizen-focused educational programme, taking an active role in preventing food waste.
The campaign slogan, “Nauči, primijeni, promijeni” (“Learn. Apply. Change.”), invited active participation, with a communication focus on Gen Z and Millennials — young people ready to make a difference — as well as families who generate potential food waste in their households.
Participants could sign up on nestle.hr, and during the workshops, chefs Mate Janković, Damir Tomljanović, and Nikša Boban taught them how to prepare meals from food leftovers that would otherwise be discarded. With creativity and skill, attendees learned how to use every ingredient to reduce household food waste.
Over 100 citizens participated in the free workshops. Recipes from Mate Janković were later published to make them accessible to everyone.
The campaign’s success extended beyond participants: 46 media mentions, almost exclusively positive, 2 live appearances on HTV shows, and significant engagement on social media highlighted the impact of the initiative.
#BirajZeleno 2023 demonstrated that the food industry can drive sustainable change through strategically designed education. Croatia’s first series of free workshops on food waste set a new standard for corporate social responsibility and clearly positioned Nestlé as a leader in sustainable education and community engagement.