Nearly 10% of all greenhouse gas emissions come from wasted food. Upcycling — elevating wasted food to its highest and best use by incorporating it into new, innovative CPG products — is one of the most effective ways to reduce food waste and the resulting emissions, according to ReFED. The Upcycled Food Association was founded in 2019 to offer upcycled product certification and a membership community for these sustainable brands.

The Ask: UFA approached Good Fun with an idea for a month-long consumer awareness campaign in June, building off of National Upcycling Day. With members like Salt & Straw, Seven Sundays and Harmless Harvest, the upcycled movement already has a large retail presence, but consumer awareness of the food waste solution was lacking. UFA’s research had shown that consumers were becoming more interested in products that not only were responsibly produced, but products that actively contributed to the fight against climate change.

The Solution:  To raise consumer awareness of the upcycled economy, we came up with Upcycled Food Month: a month to partner with fellow leaders in the food waste space to amplify awareness and sales of upcycled products. We started with campaign strategy, building out our audience avatars and key messaging. Then, we got to crafting: first, a social media toolkit for UFA members to customize, and brand partnerships with some of the largest retailers in the country.

The Results: Throughout the month of June, UFA hosted social-first partnerships with Misfits Market, Flashfood, Ahold Delhaize, and more. Some highlights were inclusion in “Cooking with Bobby,” a social-native video series with Bobby Flay and a collaboration with Flashfood, a fellow leader in the food waste retail space.