Turning Data into Insight for Circular Change
Meet Joar Stephansson, Mapping the Flows of Food Waste
For Joar Stephansson, food has always been more than just nourishment — it’s been a interest that now drives his scientific career. With a background in biotechnology and a master’s degree focused on food technology, he has found in PLENTY’s Work Package 2 a way to combine his passion for food with a strong commitment to sustainability and systems
Seeing the bigger picture
What drew Joar to PLENTY was the feeling that an important piece of work was missing for sustainability. To create large-scale change in the food system, he believes it is essential to clearly demonstrate why change is needed - and what can be gained by doings things differently. He was especially attracted by the opportunity to contribute to the PLENTY’s systems perspective in Work Package 2 (WP2) and to help build strong motivators that can drive more circular food system.
Tracking waste to reveal value
At the heart of Joar’s work lies detailing food waste- where it occurs, why it happens and how it might be repurposed. By mapping today’s food waste and using that knowledge to explore the potential resource savings of a more circular food system. His work examines how circular approaches could strengthen the systemic performance, sustainability, and resilience across the food sector.
To do this, Joar combines methodologies such as Mass Flow Analysis (MFA) to map how resources flow through the food industry, including both by products and food waste with with Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). LCA is used to estimate the potential environmental benefits of better resource utilization. A significant part of his work also involves gathering and compiling data from industry sources and from the scientific literature, piecing together a comprehensive picture of how circularity could reshape the system.
Driving system change
What excites Joar most is the potential impact of the WP2 team’s work. Alongside enthusiastic support from supervisors and colleagues he strongly feels that he is in the right place at the right time to contribute to meaningful change.
Looking ahead, Joar hopes his research will create a clear “wow effect” by showing what can be achieved through circular resource use and by helping translate that insight into large scale system change.
On the trail and in the orchard
When he’s not visualizing complex data flows, Joar enjoys more physical and creative outlets. Joar spends his time training for ultra-distance races and tasting his own cider. A perfect day, he says, is one that makes room for both.