Digital Artefact

Introduction

The purpose of this contextual statement is to support the argument for sustainable production and consumption practices of food products, as presented through the visual component of this report. The written report and visual component serve as a further extension and justification of the group pitch, which emphasised the importance of a sustainable social innovation such as ‘JNPW Food Solutions’, which is an initiative that brings order and efficiency to the current food supply chain. JNPW Food Solutions aims to streamline the operations of the food supply chain by ensuring that any excess supply of food produce/products from one party (i.e grocery stores) is disturbed to another party (i.e restaurants) instead of being wasted. As of now, the food supply chain does not have an intermediary that takes initiative and provides such services (United Nations 2023). Since food wastage within the supply chain being a core issue that requires fundamental reforms to the operational structure, JNPW Food Solutions has adopted a ‘Product Based’ social innovation method. In this sense, JNPW Food Solutions is creating a service within a supply chain that is not streamlined (Noakes 2025).  The visual component explores the importance of aligning with various Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) such as Zero Hunger, Sustainable Cities and Communities & Responsible Consumption and Production which is the core foundations of an initiative such as ‘JNPW Food Solutions’.

Social Innovation

The conception of this initiative was the result of alarming statistics identified during the research phase.

·         Each year, Australians waste around 7.6 million tonnes of food across the foods supply chain which equates to approximately 312kg per person (Foodbank 2025), (Department of Climate Change, Energy, The Environment and Water 2025) & (OZHARVEST 2024).

·         If one quarter of the food currently lost or wasted could be saved, it would be enough to feed 870 million hungry people (Foodbank 2025), (Department of Climate Change, Energy, The Environment and Water 2025) & (OZHARVEST 2024).

·         Food waste costs the Australian economy around $36.6 billion each year (Foodbank 2025), (Department of Climate Change, Energy, The Environment and Water 2025) & (OZHARVEST 2024).

·         More than 25 million hectares of land is wasted to grow food that is not eaten & (OZHARVEST 2024).

·         2 million households are experiencing the most extreme form of food insecurity, regularly skipping meals or going through entire days without eating & (OZHARVEST 2024).

These findings had emphasised the importance of having a system in place to control such wastage. JNPW Food Solutions positions itself within the supply chain and acts as an intermediary to manage the ‘food supply’ pipeline. A product-based approach in the form a platform where sellers and buyers can directly conduct transactions, is the core concept of JNPW’s social innovation. The platform allows sellers to list excess supply of food produce which can then be purchased by customers (individuals, restaurants, grocery stores).

Disruptive innovation 

As a social innovation, JNPW Food Solution is a disruptive initiative that taps into a sector of the food supply chain that has not been explored yet. In doing so, JNPW essentially disrupts the operational process within this pipeline in order to completely reform the way its conducted (Christensen, Raynor & McDonald 2015). The visual component is structured in way where it introduces the viewer to the core issue, which is the lack of management within the supply chain. It then introduces the viewer to the social innovation which is ‘JNPW Food Solutions’. The video is structed in this way to educate the audience with context and then provide them with the solution we have developed to address the issue.  The video simplifies the core components of the initiative into a digestible form for the audience, while also leaving them with something to think about: such as why the food wastage is so high, why has there been a lack of development in this sector, and most importantly a desire to partake in this initiative (Mediorite 2024) & (Marks 2023).

Since JNPW is entering into an underexplored department of the supply chain, we plan on starting small and building trust before scaling the organisation (Young Entrepreneur Council 2023). Staring small allows us to gain the necessary goodwill and the clientele which can then be leveraged to expand our operations. In this sense, JNPW would not be competing against others for a market share, but will be working alongside business/business owners such as restaurants, farmers, grocery stores etc.

SDG

JNPW aims to address these SDGs as part of their initiative: Zero Hunger, Sustainable Cities and Communities & Responsible Consumption and Production.

·         Zero Hunger: Zero Hunger is a main priority for JNPW. Ensuring that this SDG is at the forefront is very important which is why the statistic “If one quarter of the food currently lost or wasted could be saved, it would be enough to feed 870 million hungry people” (United Nations 2023) & (Department of Climate Change, Energy, The Environment and Water 2025), was included the visual component. This highlights the flaws in the operations of the supply chain and prompts the audience to wonder as to why food wastage is so high. The statement can also be a stimulus for self-reflection to those times the viewer has willingly or unwillingly wasted food. The messaging of the video will create a subconscious effect on the audience and has the possibility to bring change to their actions (Mediorite 2024).

·         Communities & Responsible Consumption and Production: A direct statistic from this SDG was included in the visual component which was “In 2021, although 828 million people were facing hunger, 13.2 per cent of the world's food was lost after harvest along the supply chain from farm to consumer” (United Nations 2023). This is what fuelled the creation of JNPW. It highlighted the need for an operational reform within the supply chain and JNPW will lead the charge in creating this change. JNPW was created to tackle this issue which spans from the production of the food produce to the rubbish bins of households, restaurants, and grocery stores. While challenging, JNPW understands the importance of addressing an issue that plagues the whole industry.

·         Sustainable Cities: As a direct impact of the other two SDGs, JNPW will contribute to SDG 11 (sustainable cities) by ensuring that the production/consumption behaviours are sustainable.

Gig Economy

The platform utilises a gig economy structure since it is an extremely viable business model supported by the success stories of Uber, Doordash, Fiverr, Depop and many more. In this model, sellers are able to list their items as they desire and does not require a constant flow of inventory. The gig economy incentivises the users of the platform to list excess items, as the surplus food, if not listed on JNPW’s platform, will go to waste, resulting in a loss. With the help on JNPW, the users have the opportunity to earn a little income from what would otherwise go to waste, but in the grander scheme of things, they are contributing their resources to those in need. As showed in the video, anyone can purchase, sell and deliver the goods. The video emphasises the need for a community effort in addressing an issue of this calibre.

Conclusion

In conclusion, JNPW’s product based social innovation disrupts the current food supply chain sector and systemises the operational structure which effectively reduces the unnecessary wastage of quality food produce. Creating a platform where sellers can list excess supply of food produce and buyers can purchase directly is strategic way of addressing the three SDGs discussed in the report. The visual component emphasises the efficiency of this initiative and showcase the importance of having such a system in place, as evident by the research that has supported the need for a system in place to control food wastage. The video also makes it clear that an operational reform of this nature requires a community effort to create meaningful change and instils inspiration within the viewer to make changes, whether small or big, and to become a part of an initiative that will save many lives.

References

Christensen, CM, Raynor, ME & McDonald, R 2015, What Is Disruptive Innovation?, Harvard Business School Publishing, Viewed 02/06/2025, < https://hbr.org/2015/12/what-is-disruptive-innovation>

Department of Climate Change, Energy, The Environment and Water 2025, Reducing Australia’s food waste, Department of Climate Change, Energy, The Environment and Water, Viewed 02/06/2025, < https://www.un.org/en/exhibits/page/sdgs-17-goals-transform-world>

Foodbank 2025, Food waste in Australia, Foodbank, Viewed 02/06/2025, < https://www.foodbank.org.au/food-waste-facts-in-australia/?state=nsw-act>

Marks, H 2023, How can social media be used to promote social justice?, University of Plymouth, 02/06/2025, <https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/discover/how-can-social-media-be-used-to-promote-social-justice>

Mediorite 2024, How does corporate video marketing support social impact and raise awareness?, Mediorite, Viewed 02/06/2025, < https://www.mediorite.co.uk/blog/how-does-corporate-video-marketing-social-impact-raise-awareness/>

Noakes, B 2025, What is a product-based business?, Adventures in Products, Viewed 02/06/2025, < https://adventuresinproducts.com/productising/what-is-a-product-based-business/>

OZHARVEST 2024, Food Waste Facts, OZHARVEST, Viewed 02/06/2025, < https://www.ozharvest.org/food-waste-facts/>

Sustainability Directory 2024, Gig Economy Implications, Sustainability Directory 2024, Viewed 02/06/2025, < https://esg.sustainability-directory.com/term/gig-economy-implications/>

United Nations 2023, Sustainable Development Goals: 17 Goals to Transform our World​, United Nations, Viewed 02/06/2025, < https://www.un.org/en/exhibits/page/sdgs-17-goals-transform-world>

Young Entrepreneur Council 2023, Starting Small Can Make A Big Difference, Forbes Media LLC, 02/06/2025, <https://www.forbes.com/councils/theyec/2023/02/15/starting-small-can-make-a-big-