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Weslynne Ashton

Professor Weslynne Ashton is a sustainable systems scientist, whose research, teaching and practice are oriented around transitioning our socio-ecological systems towards sustainability and equity. She studies the adoption of socially and environmentally responsible strategies in business, and the role of innovation and entrepreneurship in addressing social and environmental challenges. Her research is grounded in industrial ecology and the circular economy. Her current work focuses on increasing sustainability and equity in urban food systems, and developing regenerative economies in post-industrial regions, newly industrializing countries and small island states.

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Contributor Brief·Weslynne Ashton · 1 article
Updated Sep 20, 2023

Regulatory alignment, not technology alone, solves food waste

Ashton argues that food waste reduction efforts fail because they neglect local regulatory collaboration, treating waste as a technical problem when it is fundamentally a governance problem. She advocates that partnerships between waste reduction initiatives and local regulators are not supplementary but essential infrastructure for meaningful progress.

1 in 3

food produced in America is wasted annually

“Local regulatory alignment emerges as the critical missing piece in efforts to combat America's escalating food waste crisis.”

To Reduce Food Waste, Collaboration and Partnerships with Local Regulators is a Must

Barriers to food waste reduction adoption

Lack of local regulatory coordination9
Technical infrastructure gaps6
Cross-sector partnership failure8
Stakeholder misalignment on enforcement7

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30%Lack of
Lack of local regulatory coordination
Technical infrastructure gaps
Cross-sector partnership failure
Stakeholder misalignment on enforcement

regulatory partnerships

prerequisite, not optional add-on, for waste reduction success

Engineering and construction solutions alone cannot solve food waste without regulatory infrastructure behind them.

To Reduce Food Waste, Collaboration and Partnerships with Local Regulators is a Must

Regulators and waste reduction operators must co-design solutions from inception, not retrofit compliance later.

To Reduce Food Waste, Collaboration and Partnerships with Local Regulators is a Must

“Food waste persists because we treat governance as afterthought, not foundation.”

Themes:Regulatory alignment as infrastructure prerequisiteGovernance-first approach to waste reductionCross-sector partnership necessity in compliance

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