Take the pledge!
Tired of throwing away bread? So are we. That’s why we’re bringing back the smartest, tastiest Italian tradition there is: using every last crumb. Take this quick pledge to join the global movement and become a Crust Crusader.
I solemnly swear (with a full stomach) to:
🍞 Buy Smarter – Only grab what I can handle.
🍞 Store with Respect – Keep it fresh, not soggy.
🍞 Cook Like a Nonna – Turn yesterday’s loaf into today’s supper.
🍞 Spread the Love – Share the tricks, and some breadcrumbs.
Add your name to the crew. Let's make wasting bread a thing of the past—and have way more fun doing it.
bread is heritage
Knead to Know
Globally, bakery products of all types are consistently among the top three most wasted food categories in our homes, right alongside fruits and vegetables. We buy it with good intentions, but its short shelf life means it's often forgotten or deemed "too stale" far too soon.
Every loaf thrown away represents a waste of the vast resources required to create it. This includes the water for growing wheat, the energy for milling and baking, and the emissions from transportation. When we waste bread, we waste a piece of our planet's energy and effort.
Understanding the scope of bread waste is the first step toward solving it. Here are some innovative programs—starting in Italy and expanding around the world—that are turning waste into worth.
Global Innovations to Inspire
The ingenuity doesn't stop at the border. Around the world, entrepreneurs, researchers, and governments are seeing stale bread not as trash, but as a valuable raw material and a critical sustainability challenge.
In Poland, REBREAD works as an external R&D service, helping bakeries and food companies across Europe turn their surplus bread and bakery side streams into new, valuable food ingredients and products. Their vision is a world by 2040 where bread waste is eliminated across the entire supply chain.
In Norway, the Bread Rescuers project is a major scientific effort, where 300,000 loaves are discarded daily. The project tackles waste by rethinking industry systems, reducing it through consumer solutions like better freezing, and repurposing surplus into new bakery products.
From breweries that are making craft beer from surplus bread, to social bakeries and startups creating new snacks, the global movement is growing. These models prove that with creativity and science, the solutions can be as diverse and rich as bread culture itself.
Leading the Way in Italy
Italy's deep cultural respect for food is now merging with modern technology to lead the fight against waste.
The Too Good To Go app connects consumers with bakeries, pastry shops, and supermarkets at the end of the day, offering Magic Boxes of unsold bread and baked goods at a reduced price, ensuring they are eaten, not binned.
Banco Alimentare is Italy's foremost food bank network. They work directly with bakeries and food producers to systematically rescue unsold, surplus bread and redistribute it to charities, feeding people in need.
Developed by the Waste Watcher International observatory, the Sprecometro App helps individuals and families track their food waste in real-time, with bread as a key category. It turns awareness into actionable change at home.
