FamilyMart, a Japanese convenience store chain, is on a mission to reduce food waste, using cute, crying stickers to draw customer attention to products nearing their sell-by date.
The company published the FamilyMart Environmental Vision 2050 in early 2020, establishing a series of goals to reduce CO2 pollution, plastic pollution, and food waste by 2030 and 2050. A recent article by Designboom highlighted the company's latest step toward these goals, using "teary-eyed" stickers to reduce food waste.
Research has shown that discounts can be necessary to sell aging perishables to consumers who are aware of expiration dates. FamilyMart took this strategy one step further, adding an eye-catching, teary-eyed sticker to prepared food nearing its expiration date. The stickers even include a short message saying "please help."
Reducing food waste is a critical mission, especially as many go hungry around the world. Finding ways to more effectively consume products to reduce the food sent to landfills every year is important to keep costs low and to help limit rising global temperatures.
This initial test in several stores last October was effective. Compared to the old sticker, which only showed the discount amount, the company saw a 5% increase in purchase rate of these aging products, estimating that the implementation of this strategy in all stores could save around 3,000 tons of food waste per year.
This year, FamilyMart expanded the test to all 10 stores in Tokyo, where it saw similar results. The purchase rate increased by an average of 4%, and even more than 10% in some stores.
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The success of these tests led the company to add these stickers in all stores nationwide. The company then decided to spread these benefits beyond its own stores, making these illustrations available online for free. The company hopes to collaborate with restaurants, retailers, and even governments going forward to expand its impact on food waste reduction.
Reducing food waste remains a critical issue around the world, but there are many ways for both consumers and sellers to mitigate their roles in this crisis.
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