CLIKIS Network

Food production is responsible for a significant share of greenhouse gas emissions. This becomes evident with a look at school catering figures in the target countries: Estonian schools hand out approximately 36 million meals annually, accounting for 43,000 tonnes of CO2. With a considerably bigger population, Croatian schools hand out around 125 million meals per year, with a respective output of 150,000 tonnes of CO2. Due to the large amount of food that is distributed in schools, school catering constitutes a central starting point for the reduction of food production-related emissions. Predecessor projects in Germany and Poland show that measures such as choosing climate-friendly ingredients, deploying and investing in energy-efficient technology, and reducing food waste make for a 40 per cent reduction of emissions.

The project provided school kitchen managers, school directors, and municipal representatives in Croatia and Estonia with the necessary know-how to make catering more sustainable. To do so, it analysed school kitchens’ current climate efficiency and offered consultations for improvement. Furthermore, it supported the individual schools with practical measures such as the development of regionally appropriate clime-friendly dishes and respective training for kitchen chefs. Importantly, the project also constituted an organisational framework for all issues concerning school catering’s climate friendliness, allowing for efficient communication among stakeholders. The project organised four regional workshops, where participants shared expertise and best practice on the use of sustainable ingredients and the exchanging of outdated equipment. To ensure further dissemination of the acquired knowledge, the project organised conferences both on national and European levels. The project thus contributed to the further inclusion of food production issues into national and European climate protection strategies. 

• CO₂ reduction through changed menus: in Göttingen school kitchens, a meat dish is now only served once a week - a change that saves 0.74 kg of CO₂ eq per pupil per week. Extrapolated to 5,800 children over 40 weeks, this results in an annual reduction of 172 tonnes of CO₂ eq. Thanks to advice from the IZT, waste volumes and energy consumption were also reduced. Kitchen staff and administration gained a much better understanding of CO₂ sources in ingredients and kitchen appliances, which supports long-term behavioural changes. 
• Climate-friendly dishes and energy-efficient kitchen technology: In Sisak (Croatia), all participating schools introduced climate-friendly dishes, reduced waste and, with the support of the city, received an energy-modernised school kitchen. In Estonia, four out of eight schools and daycare centres introduced a plant-based weekday. The impact extends beyond the project boundaries: external institutions are showing growing demand for information material and are planning to include climate-related topics in their curricula. In this way, the project is providing important impetus for a broader anchoring of climate-friendly nutrition. 
• Networks with a long-term impact: 120 people from 109 organisations were involved in the CLIKIS network and contributed to a lasting professional exchange. In Croatia and Estonia, sustainable networks were created that will continue their work even after the end of the project. Events with specialist presentations show that climate-friendly school catering is gaining in importance both locally and at European level - and that the structures established in the project will continue to have a long-term effect.