Food waste from restaurants and supermarkets in the US represents $165 billion of missed profit. Responding to this, PareUp caters to a conscious clientele by partnering with cafés and stores to promote surplus unsold foodstuffs, reducing waste and passing on discounts.

Each year, almost half of the world's food is thrown away. Putting the wasted food to wider social and commercial use, start-up Rubies in the Rubble makes gourmet chutneys from surplus fruit and veg.

Food waste is a global concern. But charity starts at home, and there is no excuse for throwing out food that was grown in your back garden. Coinciding with the rise of urban agriculture, RipeNearMe is an app that lets people subscribe to their neighbours’ fruit trees.

With an estimated 300 million tonnes of fruit and vegetables wasted each year, the European Union has christened 2014 as the "Year against Food Waste". French supermarket Intermarche has responded by challenging perceptions of 'ugly' fruits and vegetables.

Across Europe, Lidl has become known for its outstanding value, rather than simply for its low prices. Eager to sell surplus stock, the company has been opening outlet stores - but anonymously, so as not to devaluate the current positioning of its brand.

Statistics show that Britons are throwing away 4.2 million tonnes of food and drink every year - that’s 24 meals a month. The UK’s first zero-waste restaurant Silo hopes to change that. The idea is simple: throw nothing away and serve only locally grown, seasonal food.

‘Til death us do part’ is usually reserved for weddings. But as sustainability becomes a bigger concern, it could be applied to our prized possessions, from cashmere jumpers to iPhones. But how achievable is this in a world where acquiring and upgrading are the status quo?

A new $700 billion opportunity has emerged from the unlikeliest of places: the bin. As sustainability goes mainstream, smart businesses are adding value to their brands by making sustainability cool, cost-effective and convenient.