How the Meat Industry Can Reduce Food Waste

By Jack Shaw

A staggering amount of food produced is never eaten. Meat, which requires immense resources to produce, is a major contributor to this global waste problem. The issue carries a heavy environmental price in wasted water, land, and energy. 

It also causes significant economic losses for farms and families alike while raising profound ethical questions about the lives of the animals involved. The good news is that sustainable solutions exist at every step of the journey, from farm to fork. 

The Staggering Scale of Meat Waste

In America, around 30% to 40% of the entire food supply is wasted. Approximately 23% of meat production is lost, meaning nearly one-fifth of animal products never get eaten — wasting the protein and the resources used to process them. 

Beyond improving efficiency, reducing waste is also about honoring the lives of the animals involved in the food system. In 2019, around 18 billion animal lives were represented in waste and losses of global meat production. Mainstreaming best regional efficiencies can decrease that number by 7.9 billion, while implementing the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 can reduce it by 4.2 or 8.8 billion.

The environmental impact of food waste is also significant. Food waste is the single largest component in landfills, where it rots and releases methane, a potent greenhouse gas. 

Pinpointing Waste Along the Supply Chain

Waste is a series of challenges that occur at different points in the supply chain. Each requires a unique solution. 

Production and Processing Inefficiencies  

Waste at this stage can look like inefficient cutting techniques that leave edible meat on the bone, byproducts that are discarded or downcycled, and spoilage from equipment failure. “Rendering” is a good example that involves processing animal tissue into products such as industrial fats and pet food. While not a total waste, it’s a form of “downcycling.” 

Reducing food waste in the meat industry at this phase can involve investing in advanced cutting technologies and developing new food products from trimmings and offal. Improving cold chain management within facilities is another solution. 

Distribution and Retail Challenges

Cosmetic standards are a common culprit behind retail-level meat waste. Retailers often reject perfectly safe and delicious cuts of meat due to minor discolorations or imperfect shapes. 

Many sellers also face pressure to maintain a “perfectly full” meat counter. This leads to over-ordering and inevitable spoilage as products near their expiration date. Meanwhile, supply chain disruptions, from transportation delays to broken freezer seals, can cause entire shipments to be discarded. 

Discounting meat products near their sell-by dates is a smart solution to spoilage. Investing in improved packaging technologies, like vacuum sealing, can also extend shelf life. 

Empowering Consumers to Enhance Food Waste Prevention

While industrial waste is significant, household waste accounts for most of it. Here are some ways to reduce your contribution. 

Adopt Smart Shopping and Planning Habits

Take inventory of your fridge or freezer before going to the store. Create a weekly meal plan based on what you have and what you need, then make a detailed shopping list and stick to it to avoid impulse buys. 

Pay attention to your food’s “use by” or “best by” date, which is often the manufacturer’s suggestion for peak quality. If you have items approaching their label date, use your eyes and nose to check for freshness. Look for signs of spoilage — such as a strong, strange odor and greyish-green discoloration — instead of relying solely on the date. 

Master Meat Storage Best Practices

Proper storage slows bacterial growth, preserves flavor and texture, and extends shelf life. If you’re storing raw meat in the fridge, keep it in a sealed container on the bottom shelf to prevent juices from dripping onto and contaminating other foods. 

Freezer storage is the best method for long-term preservation. Keep your freezer at 0° Fahrenheit or below, and monitor how long you keep meat products in it. Use pork within two to three months, lamb and veal within three to six months, and beef within six months. 

Wrap the meat properly to prevent freezer burn, which causes ice crystals to dehydrate the meat, ruining texture and flavor. Store meat products in freezer bags or vacuum sealers before putting them in your freezer. 

Building a Circular System for Food

Consider following a food recovery hierarchy, which prioritizes the most effective and sustainable uses for excess food. Preventing waste is ideal, but if that’s unavoidable, donating excess to hunger-relief organizations is the next best step, unless the food is spoiled and inedible. 

The next tier involves recycling or repurposing food. For example, you can turn leftovers into animal feed, compost, or even bioenergy. Consider landfill disposal only as a last resort. This model creates a “circular” system in which waste from one process becomes a valuable input for another, reducing the overall environmental footprint. 

Forging a Zero-Waste Future for the Meat Sector

Tackling meat waste is a collective effort. It’s a chain of responsibility that starts at the processing plant, runs through the grocery store, and ends in the consumer’s kitchen. Improving industrial efficiency, adopting smarter retail practices, and embracing mindful consumer habits offer actionable solutions at every stage.

Every positive change contributes to a larger movement, forging a path toward a future with less waste and more sustainable food systems. 

Jack Shaw is the senior editor of the men’s lifestyle magazine Modded and has written

extensively about electric vehicles, sustainable practices, and maintaining a green lifestyle

through your everyday actions. His writing can be found in Green Living Journal, Packaging

Digest, EcoHotels, and more. Connect with him via his LinkedIn.

7 Design Trends Improving Vehicle Sustainability in 2026

Today’s cars may look sleeker than their predecessors, but most of the design work takes place behind the scenes. From the aerodynamics of a hood to the number of bolts that fit behind a dashboard, design decisions that affect a car’s carbon footprint are often made months or sometimes years before the car goes on the road.

In 2026, car manufacturers will offer a variety of design trends aimed at gradually improving efficiency, reducing waste, and lowering emissions.

1. Using Lighter Weight Materials

Reducing vehicle weight is one way to make a vehicle more sustainable, as less energy is needed to accelerate, stop, or maintain a given speed. A lighter design improves fuel economy in gas-powered vehicles and range in electric cars.

To replace heavier materials while still meeting safety standards, many automakers are employing composite materials and high-strength steel. According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Energy, a 6% to 8% improvement in fuel economy can be achieved for every 10% reduction in weight.

The result is lower lifetime emissions, as less fuel or electricity is required over the lifetime of daily operation. Some manufacturers are using aluminum to match steel’s strength with lower weight, making products up to 45% lighter.

2. Focusing on Aerodynamic Design

Aerodynamics was once a consideration in performance, but it now applies to sustainability, as well. On highways, aerodynamic drag becomes one of the most significant factors impacting fuel efficiency.

Fuel efficiency improves as drag decreases at higher speeds. Contemporary designers smooth body shapes, use underbody panels, and channel air to create more aerodynamic automobiles.

3. Embracing Interior Minimalism

Minimalist interiors reduce material and manufacturing complexity. Fewer buttons, simplified dashboards, and digital displays reduce the number of components that need to be manufactured to build the car.

Fewer parts mean fewer raw materials, less assembly and reassembly time, lower energy costs during manufacture, and easier disassembly for easier recycling at the end of a vehicle’s life. Streamlined interiors lead to more sustainable designs and more straightforward long-term repair options.

4. Choosing Sustainable Materials

Materials are becoming a focus in vehicle interiors. Seats, trim, and panels may feature recycled plastics, reclaimed textiles, and plant-based materials in new models.

Using recycled materials reduces pressure on raw materials and reduces landfilling. Automakers are responding to consumer desires for transparency and responsible sourcing, which does not otherwise change how vehicles operate. The interior is a simple way to improve environmental friendliness without changing overall functionality.

5. Utilizing Efficient Manufacturing

The design process also drives sustainability. Modular platforms allow manufacturers to share vehicle components across multiple vehicle models, reducing tooling, production and product variation waste.

Better-designed parts can reduce the length of the assembly line and, in turn, factory energy consumption. Improvements in manufacturing productivity reduce emissions across the automotive supply chain.

6. Implementing Smart Thermal Management

Temperature remains an essential factor in vehicle energy consumption. When temperatures drop, a battery slows as it both delivers and receives energy, worsening EV range and charging performance. Consequently, thermal design has become a core sustainability issue rather than a secondary engineering design consideration.

Battery thermal management and passenger cabin heating systems have been increasingly included in 2026 models. Improved insulation, system heat recovery, and battery heating strategies allow electric vehicles to operate closer to their ideal temperature year-round. Such strategies mitigate the cold’s impact on energy consumption, conserve the battery’s range and lifespan, and limit excess energy use during everyday driving.

7. Developing Electric Vehicle Efficiency

In addition to physical systems, vehicle sustainability increasingly includes software systems that encourage sustainable energy use, such as monitors, adaptive cruise control, and intelligent routing systems. Many automakers also offer electric and hybrid models to reduce energy consumption and pollution.

A traditional gas-powered Toyota Camry produces 385 grams of carbon dioxide per mile, while an all-electric Chevy Bolt produces only 189 grams. Through these developments, manufacturers can reduce energy consumption without relying on driver assistance. Digital technologies that drive down waste and increase efficiency in other consumer technologies are increasingly being incorporated into vehicle sustainability.

Design Decisions Impact Vehicle Sustainability for Years

With vehicles, sustainability is no longer a simple matter of a single property or propulsion unit. It is a combination of dozens of factors that affect how energy, materials, and resources are used throughout their lifetimes.

More stringent environmental standards and customer demand for greener products mean that a good-looking, innovative design will be a big part of cleaner transportation as well. Soon, the environmentally inclined reader will listen to the engine and notice the subtle design choices behind it.

Eco-Friendly Tips: Installing a Porous Asphalt Driveway

Adopting sustainable construction practices is a forward-thinking business strategy that benefits the environment, your clients, and your reputation. Porous asphalt is a type of permeable pavement that supports sustainable efforts.

If you’re integrating porous asphalt driveway installation into your business offerings, it’s important to follow these eco-friendly best practices. These tips will help your business deliver superior results while reducing environmental impact.

Site Preparation and Subbase Construction

The performance of porous asphalt depends heavily on a correctly prepared subbase. Instead of a dense-graded aggregate, use an open-graded stone reservoir course. The clean, crushed stone creates void space that holds stormwater before it infiltrates the soil below. It reduces runoff and recharges local groundwater sources.

Excavate the site in accordance with the local soil type and frost line data. Use geotextile fabric to separate the stone reservoir from the underlying soil, preventing clogging and maintaining permeability over time.

Sustainable Material Transportation

Your commitment to sustainability extends to the logistics of material transport. Source your asphalt mix and aggregates from local suppliers to reduce transportation distances and associated carbon emissions. Coordinate deliveries efficiently to minimize truck idling time on the job site.

When hauling materials, equipment care is important. Heavy-duty bed liners protect dump trailers from asphalt damage. The abrasive material won’t ever reach the trailer itself. With the trailer in good shape, a replacement won’t be necessary for several years. This will keep your construction operations running without sending equipment to the landfill.

Asphalt Mix and Installation Techniques

Porous asphalt has less fine aggregate than conventional dense-graded asphalt. This formulation creates interconnected voids that allow water to pass through the pavement. Work with your supplier to get a mix design that balances permeability with the durability needed for residential driveways.

Lay the asphalt at the correct temperature to achieve adequate compaction without sealing the surface voids. Use a static steel-wheeled roller for compaction; avoid vibratory rollers, which will over-compact the mix and reduce permeability. Limit the number of passes to achieve the target density while preserving the open-void structure.

Post-Installation Best Practices

Educate your clients on the maintenance requirements of their new porous driveway. They’ll need to avoid sealing the surface and keep it clear of fine sediment or debris. Periodic cleaning with a vacuum sweeper or pressure washer keeps the pores open and functional.

Providing this information positions your company as a knowledgeable partner in sustainability. It demonstrates your commitment to the long-term performance of the projects you build. Following these eco-friendly tips for installing a porous asphalt driveway helps you build a reputation for quality, innovation, and environmental responsibility.

The Desert Is Going Green — And It’s Happening Faster Than You Think

If you still picture the UAE as endless sand, heatwaves, and concrete skylines, you’re already behind the curve. Right now, while tourists Google car rent Dubai to get around comfortably, something way more interesting is happening outside the city limits. The desert is quietly — and aggressively — turning green. Not metaphorically. Literally.

This isn’t a slow, feel-good environmental story meant to sound nice on a conference stage. This is real infrastructure, real money, and real change moving at Gulf speed. Blink, and you’ll miss it.

Green Is the New Power Move

In the UAE, sustainability isn’t a trend — it’s strategy. Solar fields stretch across areas that used to be untouched sand. Entire neighborhoods are designed to reduce emissions, recycle water, and cool themselves naturally. And no, this isn’t some experimental eco-village hidden from public view. This is mainstream planning.

What makes it wild is the pace. In places where development usually means “build fast, fix later,” the UAE flipped the script. Green tech, smart grids, electric mobility — all rolled out like luxury features, not sacrifices. Sustainability here feels premium, not preachy.

Solar Panels, But Make It Massive

You’ve probably heard about solar energy projects in the Middle East, but seeing them is different. Miles of panels reflecting the sun, quietly generating power that feeds entire cities. It’s clean, it’s efficient, and it’s very on-brand for a country that likes doing things bigger than everyone else.

Locals don’t hype it much — that’s the thing. It’s just… normal now. Solar isn’t “the future.” It’s already baked into how the UAE runs.

Water Where It Shouldn’t Exist

Green in the desert sounds impossible until you drive past lush medians, parks, and mangroves. Water management here is borderline sci-fi. Recycled water systems, advanced desalination, and hyper-efficient irrigation mean greenery isn’t a waste — it’s controlled precision.

Mangroves along the coast aren’t just pretty Instagram spots. They’re ecosystems, carbon sinks, and natural flood protection. The UAE didn’t just preserve them — it expanded them.

Cities That Breathe (Yes, Really)

Sustainable cities in the UAE aren’t boring. They’re designed to be lived in, flexed, and shown off. Shaded walkways, smart cooling, rooftops that generate power — all without killing the vibe.

The goal isn’t to go backwards or live smaller. It’s to live smarter. Less waste, more efficiency, zero compromise on comfort. That’s why people moving here don’t feel like they’re “sacrificing” for the planet. They’re upgrading.

Why You Need to See It Yourself

Here’s the thing: you won’t fully get this transformation from hotel balconies or downtown cafés. The real green shift is spread out — solar parks outside the city, desert reserves, coastal restoration zones, and sustainable communities far from metro stations.

That’s where having your own wheels changes everything.

Public transport won’t take you to half these places. Taxis get expensive fast. And ride-hailing apps don’t love remote eco-zones. If you actually want to understand how fast the UAE is rewriting the desert narrative, mobility matters.

The Quiet Truth About Getting Around

Exploring the UAE’s green revolution means driving — comfortably, flexibly, on your own schedule. Renting a car isn’t just about convenience here. It’s about access. Access to places tourists don’t usually see, to projects shaping the next decade, to landscapes that shouldn’t exist but somehow do.

In a country where sustainability and scale go hand in hand, renting a car in the UAE isn’t a luxury — it’s part of the experience. If the desert is going green faster than you think, the smartest move is making sure you can actually get there to see it.

Top Sustainable Rooftop Materials 

A roof does much more than just keep the rain out of your living room. It dictates your building’s energy efficiency and determines your environmental footprint. Traditional materials often fail the sustainability test due to short lifespans and poor thermal performance.

Asphalt shingles absorb significant heat during the summer. This heat transfer forces air conditioners to operate more efficiently and consume more electricity. They also generate millions of tons of waste annually when homeowners replace them.

Fortunately, modern innovation offers superior alternatives for the eco-conscious builder. You can now select materials that are longer-lasting and more environmentally friendly. This guide highlights the top sustainable rooftop materials available today.

Metal Roofing Lasts a Lifetime

Metal roofing offers greater longevity and durability than standard options. Many metal roofs last 50 years or more and require minimal maintenance. This long lifespan drastically reduces the need for frequent replacements and new raw materials.

Most metal roofs contain a high percentage of recycled content from the outset. You can also completely recycle the panels at the end of their useful life. This circular life cycle significantly minimizes waste. Architects also favor metal for its design versatility and energy efficiency.

Green Roofs Embrace Nature

Green roofs replace barren surfaces with thriving layers of living vegetation. These systems absorb stormwater and significantly reduce dangerous runoff. The soil and plants also act as a natural insulator for the building below.

Cities benefit immensely from these vegetative installations. Plants help mitigate the urban heat island effect by actively cooling the surrounding air. They also provide vital habitats for birds and local pollinators. A living roof is a strong starting point for greener cities.

Solar Shingles Generate Power

Solar shingles represent a significant leap forward in green building technology. They generate electricity while protecting your home from the elements. This dual purpose eliminates the need for separate, bulky solar panel racks.

Homeowners appreciate the sleek aesthetic these shingles provide. You maintain a traditional roofline while producing your own clean, renewable energy. They rank among the top sustainable rooftop materials for their potential to create energy independence.

Recycled Synthetic Shingles Reduce Waste

Recycled synthetic shingles mimic the appearance of slate or cedar shake. Manufacturers mold these shingles from post-consumer plastic and rubber. This process diverts waste from landfills and gives it a valuable second life.

These shingles offer superior impact and fire resistance. They do not crack or rot like natural wood or slate often does. You get the aesthetic appeal of premium materials without the high environmental cost.

Invest in a Greener Future

Your choice of roofing material impacts the planet for decades to come. Sustainable options reduce waste, save energy, and often last much longer than conventional choices. Review your budget and climate needs before making a final decision.