Skip to the content 
In this episode, Ragnar talks with Benjamin Lephilibert, Managing Director of LightBlue, a leading for-profit social enterprise on food waste prevention. Their vision: to reconcile sustainability with business excellence.
Since 2015 Benjamin and his team have trained approximately 2000+ kitchen professionals on food waste, run 45 projects in 9 countries, and helped save ~1 million kg of food from the bin. They have just announced the launch of the 1st destination-level food waste prevention program in Mauritius Island by the end of June.
How did they get here? Over the past 8 years of relentless efforts, Benjamin’s team at LightBlue have gained a unique expertise on food waste prevention through more than 45 projects in 8 countries. Their approach is holistic, human-centered & cross-disciplinary coupled with the right tech. LightBlue designs and implement solutions to cut operational expenses, increase employees’ efficiency and loyalty, and to improve the reputation of organizations operating more responsibly.
LightBlue’s experts have developed FIT Food Waste Monitoring Tech (application and software), methodologies, and capacity-building workshops to minimize food waste and raise awareness for international hotel groups (Marriott, Accor, Hyatt), restaurant (Cofoco Denmark, Bo.lan. J’AIME by Jean-Michel Lorain), international organizations (Michelin Guide Thailand, GIZ Laos, WWF), government agencies (TCEB), and higher education (Republic Polytechnic Singapore, ESCP Business School, Institut Paul Bocuse, FERRANDI Paris, ESSEC Business School), as well as supporting The PLEDGE™ on Food Waste certification and benchmarking system.
Discover how their solutions are helping to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Goal 2: Zero Hunger, Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, Goal 13: Climate Action, and Goal 17: Partnerships to Achieve the Goal.
Hear more on this episode of World on a Plate.
About our Guest
Self-made Food Waste solution designer is how to best describe Benjamin, who started his career in sustainability in 2008 with Accor as a Green Globe certification manager for 45 Asian Novotel.
After consulting for the UN, he founded LightBlue Environmental Consulting in 2013, with the vision to reconcile business excellence with sustainability. LightBlue, is a regional awareness raising, auditing, capacity building, consulting and technology firm working on food waste prevention across Asia and Europe with hotel groups (Marriott, Accor, Hyatt), restaurants (Cofoco Denmark, Bo.lan, J’AIME by Jean-Michel Lorain), as well as with International Organizations (Michelin Guide Thailand, GIZ Laos, WWF) and government agencies (TCEB).
He is an international speaker (50+ international conferences and webinars), judge for awards on sustainability, guest-lecturer in culinary schools (Institute Paul Bocuse, FERRANDI Paris) and business schools (ESCP Europe), counselor at Franco-Thai Chamber of Commerce, solution-designer of FIT Food Waste Monitoring Tech, and a certified trainer for the Global Sustainable Tourism Council.
With a consortium of academics and experts, he co-developed The PLEDGE™ on Food Waste, a third-party certification and benchmarking system that enables hotels, restaurants, and canteens to adopt a unified and holistic approach to cut on food waste with the full process being 100% online. Benjamin and LightBlue’s expertise have been referenced in more than 40 publications worldwide, including the Financial Times, El Mundo, Bangkok Post, and more.
To keep up-to-date with the latest from Benjamin, check him out on LinkedIn.
Resources
You can find more on LightBlue at their website, and on LightBlue’s social media accounts: LinkedIn / Facebook / Instagram.
Learn how to reduce food waste and save on your bottom line with Worldchefs Sustainability for Culinary Professionals web course. Once you’ve watched the videos and completed a quick assessment, you’ll also receive a certificate to show that you’ve taken a big step towards building a more sustainable future.
Want to get involved in sustainability projects at home and around the world? Feed the Planet can help connect you with more fun, easy, and impactful initiatives designed especially for chefs. Visit www.howtofeedtheplanet.com now.
Have an earth-friendly recipe to share? Click here to submit it! And don’t forget to become a part of the Feed the Planet community. Join now.
For more on sustainability, tune in to our World on a Plate episodes with UN Advocate Chef Arthur Potts Dawson, influencer Max LaManna, and The Vegetable Chef, Frank Fol, or check out our webcast!
Don’t forget to subscribe to Worldchefs Podcast: World on a Plate! Choose your favorite listening platform from the right panel or go here to subscribe!
Acknowledgements
Special thanks to Benjamin Lephilibert for joining as a guest.
World on a Plate is supported by Nestlé Professional and our podcast sponsors.
