Food waste between the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the values ​​of Ramadan

Food waste between the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the values of Ramadan

Food waste is one of the most prominent issues that reveals the imbalance in contemporaryconsumption patterns; Because of its direct impacts on natural resources, food security, and social justice; Because every amount of food wasted represents an unjustified depletion of water, energy and all resources, and at the same time increases the burden of waste and pollution, which is inconsistent with the goals of sustainable development and their dimensions.

In this context, with the advent of the blessed month of Ramadan of the year 2026 – may God bring it back to the Islamic nation with goodness – the essence of the Islamic religion intersects with the principles of modern sustainability or the 2030 Sustainable Development Plan; It emphasizes the value of moderation, the importance of preserving grace, and the necessity of rationalizing consumption, as all of them are a moral and behavioral responsibility.

If this is clearly evident in the blessed month of Ramadan, it is undoubtedly a practical model for translating Islamic human values into a sustainable daily reality, where the relationship between man and various aspects of his environment is reorganized on the basis of awareness and solidarity.

From this angle, the article “Food waste between the goals of sustainable development and the values of Ramadan” addresses the dimensions of this issue as an intertwined developmental and behavioral challenge, analyzing its economic and environmental roots, highlighting its intersection with Islamic values calling for moderation and preserving grace, while presenting a package of sustainable advice and simple practical steps that help families rationalize their consumption; So keep reading.

Confronting food waste is a global plan

Efforts to confront and combat food waste in various ways have come as a form of response to the 2030 global sustainable development agenda, but a closer look reveals to us that there is clear harmony between religious values and the goals of sustainable development and their three dimensions: the social dimension, the economic dimension, and the environmental dimension, in a way that supports the building of more just, aware, and sustainable societies.

Hence, the issue of food waste returns to the forefront – with the advent of the month of Ramadan – as one of the challenges most closely related to our daily behavior. Due to the preparation of excessive amounts of food and poor planning, despite the fact that this holy month carries at its core a clear human moral call for moderation, good management, and not extravagance.

Because while Ramadan is supposed to be a season of moderation in consumption and reviewing shopping and purchasing patterns, the facts indicate – unfortunately – that food waste rates increase in some Islamic societies during this month, especially with regard to purchasing, storing and preparing Ramadan tables.

Excessive consumption is an irresponsible decision

Food waste begins with careless and irresponsible consumer decisions, is amplified by promotions and excessive purchases, and ends with large quantities of food. These practices clearly contradict Ramadan values that emphasize that blessings are preserved and that resources are managed wisely, especially in a world where millions of people suffer from food insecurity.

From a sustainability perspective, reducing food waste during Ramadan is an individual behavior, but it is a direct contribution to achieving Goal 12 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), related to responsible consumption and production, which calls for reducing the per capita share of food waste globally.

This is because every meal that is carefully planned, and every surplus that is redirected, saved or shared, is a big step on a sustainable path towards a world free of assault on natural resources, where biodegradable waste becomes less, and humans win the battle of emissions associated with the food chain and its waste.

So, Ramadan comes in this context to be an annual opportunity to reset our relationship with food: from conscious purchasing, to rational cooking, to a culture of sharing and solidarity. This makes the Holy Month a practical space for translating religious values ​​into sustainable practices that raise the value of blessing, combat waste, and link daily behavior with social, economic, and environmental responsibility at one level.

Sustainable fasting in simple steps

So that talking about sustainability does not remain a general theoretical framework, translating these values into daily reality begins with simple practical steps that are easy to apply within every home. Because rationalizing consumption does not require radical changes as much as it requires a degree of awareness and prior organization, and this is by transforming food behavior in Ramadan from a seasonal impulse into a responsible and balanced practice with the purposes of the Holy Month and the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Among these simple steps by which food waste can be reduced in Ramadan:

• Prepare a specific weekly shopping list, and stick to it.
• Purchase quantities appropriate for the number of family members only.
• Avoid shopping while hungry; To avoid random purchases.
• Organizing the refrigerator according to the principle: the oldest is consumed first.
• Cook moderate quantities, and divide them into clear portions.
• Save the excess safely in tight containers.
• Repurpose food scraps into new recipes instead of throwing them away.
• Share excess consumable food with neighbors or those in need.
• Convert inedible vegetable remains into home compost if possible.

In conclusion, food waste can only be dealt with as a direct reflection of a system of values and consumption patterns that determine the shape of our relationship with resources and with others. Continuing waste means deepening the gap between abundance and need, increasing pressure on ecosystems, and weakening global efforts aimed at achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), most notably eliminating hunger.

From this standpoint,The The Earth Guards Foundation believes that the Islamic value framework – especially in the month of Ramadan – provides an integrated ethical model to address this problem from its roots, by reconsidering the meanings of rationalization, self-accountability, and societal responsibility.

We must realize that reducing food waste includes rebuilding awareness, and transforming daily behavior into a tool for achieving social justice and protecting resources, and while international frameworks set numerical goals and measurement indicators, the real bet remains on the ability of societies to harmonize these goals with their cultural and religious systems, making sustainability a living practice, and Ramadan is an annual station to reset the path towards more balanced and equitable development.