{"id":5569,"date":"2026-10-01T13:02:04","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T13:02:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sustainability-today.ro\/?p=5569"},"modified":"2026-10-01T13:03:28","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T13:03:28","slug":"penny-launches-case-study-turning-surplus-food-into-measurable-social-and-environmental-impact","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sustainability-today.ro\/index.php\/2026\/10\/01\/penny-launches-case-study-turning-surplus-food-into-measurable-social-and-environmental-impact\/","title":{"rendered":"PENNY launches case study: Turning surplus food into measurable social and environmental impact"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The case study covers the period January 1, 2024 \u2013 December 31, 2025 and has two components: “Greenhouse gas emissions avoided through the food donation program: GHG analysis (2024-2025)” and “Social value generated by the food donation program: Social Return on Investment (SROI) analysis 2024-2025”.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the occasion of the International Food Waste Awareness Day, PENNY Romania presents the results of an impact assessment of its food donation program carried out in the period 2024-2025 through the Food Banks network coordinated by the Federation of Food Banks in Romania (FBAR). The scale of this approach was analyzed through two independent studies: an analysis of greenhouse gas emissions (CO\u2082 equivalent) estimated to be avoided by donating surplus food still suitable for human consumption, instead of managing it as waste; and a Social Return on Investment (SROI) assessment, which estimates the social value generated by the food surplus donation and redistribution mechanism. Together, the two studies provide insight into the environmental and social impact associated with PENNY Romania’s food donation program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the analyzed period, PENNY donated 8,479 tons of food based on Law no. 217\/2016 on the reduction of food waste 8,479 tons of food, through a total contribution estimated at approximately 18.5 million euros, which includes the value of the donated food recorded at the time of leaving management, direct sponsorships, contributions generated through tax incentive mechanisms and internal resources allocated to the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ENVIRONMENTAL impact (GHG) study<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the study, the redistribution of the 8,479 tons of food avoided the generation of about 4,346 tons of CO\u2082 equivalent, compared to a scenario in which these foods would have been managed as waste by conventional methods – landfill, incineration or anaerobic digestion. The figure represents 79.1% of the estimated baseline emissions for the non-program scenario.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In relation to quantity, each tonne of food donated avoided around 513 kilograms of CO\u2082 equivalent. The calculation also includes additional emissions from transport, temporary storage, NGO food handling, packaging and associated FBAR logistics; after taking them into account, the result remains a net reduction in emissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SOCIAL Impact Assessment (SROI)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study estimates the social value generated by the PENNY investment in the period 2024-2025 at over 473 million euros, which corresponds to a ratio of 11.17 euros social value for every euro invested. Benefits for direct recipients (adults, the elderly and children), for partner NGOs, for volunteers, as well as for the environment and society are taken into account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both evaluations were carried out with the support of an independent external consultant, using internationally recognized methodologies: for the environmental component, elements aligned with the GHG Protocol for Project Accounting standards and the VERRA methodological framework on reducing food losses and waste; for the social component, the Social Return on Investment (SROI) methodology, developed in accordance with the principles of Social Value International.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to the quantified results, the partner organisations also reported non-quantifiable effects: reduced uncertainty regarding access to food, access to more varied products, the possibility of redirecting income to medicines, utilities or other household needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The results of the study confirm something that we believed, but that we can now also measure: food that can no longer be sold, but is very good for consumption, has a real value \u2013 for the people who receive it and for the environment alike. Donating food to the Federation of Food Banks is not a project that happens at the strategy level, but every day, in every store, through our colleagues who prepare the products for donation. We will continue to donate food to the Federation of Food Banks and support the communities we are part of.”, said Dan Cri\u0219an, COO PENNY | REWE Romania.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“A meal provided today can change the way a person looks at tomorrow. It means more security for a family, a child’s chance to learn and grow up healthy, dignity for an elderly person left alone. This is the profound meaning of the work we do together with PENNY | REWE Romania. By recovering food, we support people in difficulty and reduce the burden that waste places on the environment. The results of the study help us measure these effects and show why saving food is worth sustaining in the long term. We are grateful to our strategic partner, PENNY Romania, for the confidence with which they support this mission. Together we build a world without waste, where no one goes to bed hungry.”, said Romuald Bulai, President of the Federation of Food Banks in Romania – FBAR.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PENNY has been collaborating with the Federation of Food Banks in Romania since 2019, and since 2022 it has been a Strategic Partner of the Network. The partnership between PENNY Romania and FBAR has evolved into a collaboration model at national level, which integrates the daily redistribution of safe food surplus for consumption, financial support through sponsorships and the redirection of corporate income tax through Declaration D177, as well as theinvolvement of the operational and managerial resources necessary for the coordination of the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FBAR’s business model is based on taking surplus food from producers, processors and retailers, including PENNY, and redistributing it through the nine Regional Food Banks. After collection and storage in the dedicated infrastructure, the products are offered free of charge to partner non-governmental organisations, which use them to support final beneficiaries, often as part of integrated social programmes and services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The synthesis report on the results of the impact studies includes the main results and conclusions of the two independent assessments on the social and environmental impact associated with the food donation program carried out by PENNY Romania in the period 2024-2025: “Greenhouse gas emissions avoided through the food donation program: GHG analysis (2024-2025)” and “Social value generated by the food donation program: Social Return on Investment (SROI) analysis 2024-2025”, carried out with the support of an external specialized consultant. The report can be accessed HERE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PENNY is the successful concept of the German REWE group and one of the most active retailers in Romania, with the first store opened on the local market in 2005. The entire network is served by five logistics centers located in the localities of Stefanestii de Jos, Turda, Bacau, Filia\u0219i and Mih\u0103ile\u0219ti. Currently, the PENNY network in Romania consists of 474 stores nationwide and a dedicated team of 8,000 employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PENNY is among the top organizations that received the title of Top Employer in Romania and Europe in 2026 (Top Employer). The Top Employer certification reflects the care and commitment to the team and performance in human resources practices. For more details about the company, visit the official website https:\/\/www.penny.ro\/.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The case study covers the period January 1, 2024 \u2013 December 31, 2025 and has two components: “Greenhouse gas emissions avoided through the food donation program: GHG analysis (2024-2025)” and “Social value generated by the food donation program: Social Return on Investment (SROI) analysis 2024-2025”. On the occasion of the International Food Waste Awareness Day, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5570,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,8,7],"tags":[176],"class_list":["post-5569","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-circular_economy","category-news","category-recycling","tag-penny"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sustainability-today.ro\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5569","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sustainability-today.ro\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sustainability-today.ro\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sustainability-today.ro\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sustainability-today.ro\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5569"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.sustainability-today.ro\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5569\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5572,"href":"https:\/\/www.sustainability-today.ro\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5569\/revisions\/5572"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sustainability-today.ro\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5570"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sustainability-today.ro\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5569"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sustainability-today.ro\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5569"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sustainability-today.ro\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5569"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}