Industries and companies in the food and plant industry see a great need to streamline production, improve profitability, and switch to more sustainable methods.
This is evident when an estimated one-third of all food, 1.3 million tons, produced for human consumption becomes waste or waste, while 1.4 billion hectares are used annually to grow food that is never consumed. This is equivalent to the combined land area of the United States, India and Egypt combined. Food losses and waste are estimated annually at approximately EUR 680 billion in industrialized countries and EUR 310 billion in developing countries.
In other words, the costs of the losses are estimated at EUR 990 billion annually. Climate impact is another factor, the food sector accounts for about 30 percent of the world's total energy consumption and food waste contributes about 8-10 percent of global greenhouse gases, which is more than the entire aviation industry, global plastic production and oil extraction contribute together. Climate change has a significant impact on growing food, and the effects can be both direct and indirect.
Climate change makes agricultural production, and thus food production, more unpredictable and complicated and requires adaptation strategies to ensure that food production can continue sustainably. By extension, many consumers nowadays choose food with regard to its environmental impact.
Furthermore, approximately 43 billion cut flowers are grown annually, of which up to 20 percent becomes waste. During the flower industry's peak season, which is Valentine's Day, around 360,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide is produced from flower transport, which is equivalent to the emissions from 78,000 cars over a year. According to OptiCept's assessment, around 1.8–2 billion plastic packages (sachets) are manufactured annually with nutrients that accompany flower bouquets in the store, which results in extensive plastic production. All of the above examples highlight the serious problems of inefficiency and environmental impact in the food and plant industry.
Through OptiCept's technology, the Company can improve profitability, reduce food waste, increase extraction, maximize the use of organic material, and at the same time reduce environmental impact. OptiCept estimates that the addressable market for the currently prioritized business areas of potato processing, olive oil, forest cuttings, and cut flowers amounts to approximately EUR 5.3 billion in total.
