New partnership enables food rescue organizations to generate revenue from their climate impact.
Food waste is a leading cause of greenhouse gas emissions, with nearly 40% of food produced in the U.S. going uneaten. Food rescue organizations are on the front lines of preventing this waste and redirecting it to communities in need. Now, thanks to an innovative partnership between Food Rescue Hero and Brightly, these organizations can turn their climate impact into carbon credits, creating new revenue streams to further their mission.
Empowering Food Rescue Organizations Through Technology and Carbon Financing
Food Rescue Hero, a platform developed by Pittsburgh-based nonprofit 412 Food Rescue, connects surplus food with communities experiencing hunger through an extensive network of over 58,000 volunteer drivers. Since its launch in 2016, the platform has diverted more than 180 million pounds of food from landfills, mitigating over 420 million pounds of CO2 emissions.
Through this partnership, Brightly will quantify the greenhouse gas emissions prevented by food rescue efforts and convert them into high-integrity carbon credits. These credits will be sold to corporations seeking to offset their emissions, providing a sustainable revenue stream for food rescue organizations and allowing them to expand their impact.
“Food rescue organizations play a crucial role in addressing the twin crises of food waste and food insecurity,” said Alyssa Cholodofsky, CEO of Food Rescue Hero. “This partnership with Brightly unlocks new resources for our partners, enabling them to scale their efforts and make an even greater difference.”
About Brightly’s Carbon Credits
Brightly specializes in creating high-integrity carbon credits specifically for food recovery organizations. By leveraging conservative emissions calculations to ensure accuracy and credibility, Brightly’s credits avoid “greenwashing” and deliver real, measurable climate impact.
While many carbon credits support international projects, Brightly focuses on domestic impact by supporting food rescue efforts that directly benefit U.S. communities.
Simplifying Access to Carbon Revenue
Smaller organizations often face barriers to accessing carbon revenue, such as minimum credit thresholds and complex data requirements. Brightly’s partnership with Food Rescue Hero removes these obstacles by processing food recovery data from partner organizations in aggregate, and using its bespoke technology platform to make carbon revenue accessible to food rescue organizations of all sizes.
“We’re excited to collaborate with Food Rescue Hero to empower food rescue organizations through carbon financing,” said Andy Levitt, Founder and CEO of Brightly. “By turning climate action into financial resources, we’re not only helping to reduce methane emissions but also creating a sustainable pathway for food rescues to recover more food and feed more people. This partnership exemplifies how innovation and collaboration can drive meaningful change.”
Food Rescue Hero is a technology platform that enables food recovery and hunger relief organizations to launch and scale food recovery. In the United States, as much as 40% of the food produced is wasted while one in ten people goes hungry. Food waste is also one of the leading causes of greenhouse gas emissions. Focusing on the logistical challenges of retail food recovery, Food Rescue Hero addresses the challenges of food waste, food insecurity and climate change through technology-coordinated, community-powered networks.
Since its launch in 2016, the Food Rescue Hero Network, made up of 20 partner organizations in the US and Canada, and a growing community of 58K volunteer drivers, has diverted over 180 million pounds (the equivalent of more than 150 million meals) of perfectly good food from the landfill and mitigated over 420 million pounds of CO2 emissions. In 2022, Food Rescue Hero facilitated the rescue of 82 meals per minute, with one rescue being completed every four minutes. Food Rescue Hero facilitates partner growth and multi-county expansion, aiming to scale food recovery in 100 cities by 2030 and measurably support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2, 12 and 13.
Brightly works with food rescue organizations to create carbon credits from the methane emissions prevented by diverting food from landfills. By generating sustainable revenue through these high-integrity credits, Brightly helps food recovery organizations scale their operations, feed more people, and fight climate change. For more information, visit brightly.earth or contact andy@justbrightly.com.
