Food Waste Awareness in Indore & Pune

Changing narratives and shifting perceptions on households, hotels, restaurants and catering waste

Our campaign "Waste Nahi Re" uses digital and offline tactics to shift the mindset around food waste from an all-or-nothing approach to one focused on incremental change. By adopting a relatable, lighthearted approach, the campaign encourages small, everyday actions that can collectively reduce food waste.

Food Waste Awareness in Indore & Pune

Challenge

Food waste is one of the largest contributors to global climate change, with nearly one-third of all food produced going to waste. When discarded, food decomposes in landfills, releasing harmful methane emissions that accelerate the warming of our planet. Our research demonstrated that due to the moral connotations surrounding the issue, both audience groups often feel helpless in tackling food waste, believing their efforts are too small to make a difference.

Strategy

Our strategy focused on developing an incremental narrative built upon three key pillars:

1. Make Hidden Waste Visible: Expose the unnoticed sources and amounts of food waste to create awareness and break complacency, encouraging more mindful behavior.

2. Highlight the Power of Small Actions: Show how small, consistent efforts can make a big impact, shifting perceptions from convenience to meaningful contribution.

3. Promote Achievable New Targets: Introduce practical, modern waste reduction methods with attainable goals to inspire openness and adoption of better practices.

Creative

This creative strategy takes a lighthearted, relatable approach to highlight how food waste occurs—both intentionally and unintentionally—at various stages. By using humorous, slice-of-life situations and language rooted in the audience’s daily context, it makes often-overlooked waste visible and understandable. It not only surfaces the problem but also offers simple, actionable solutions, and can be easily localized in multiple languages to deepen local resonance.

Campaign

This campaign reframes food waste as a problem of small, everyday actions—shifting mindsets from all-or-nothing to incremental change. Using a relatable, lighthearted tone, it combines digital content like “Fridge Check Karo” and “Storage Hacks” with hyperlocal partnerships (e.g., Pune Eats Out, RJ Saurabh). Offline tactics include chef-led masterclasses, the “Dinner with Strangers” event, and activations at Pune Comic Con, all designed to visibilise waste, spark reflection, and showcase practical solutions.