SOURCE UK

COVID-19 has uncovered inherent weaknesses, inequities and system-wide risks in global food systems, increasing the urgency to foster pathways to greater food system sustainability and resilience. This project will address these challenges with a solution that simplifies supply chain logistics, strengthens local economies and boosts community resilience.

SOURCE UK is an advanced circular food system that combines food waste management with the production of nutrient-dense food using hydroponics and closed-loop recovery of nutrients, water and renewable energy. Current hydroponic practice predominantly uses energy-intensive synthetic fertilisers. Using AD by-products (biogas, recovered nutrients and CO2) will significantly decarbonise future hydroponics.

The approach extends food production into cities, processing organic waste on-site and yields locally grown food. On-site waste management and food production will generate green training and employment opportunities and divert organics from overburdened landfill sites.

The project will prototype the SOURCE UK AD and digestate management system, build an innovative circular business model, develop the service blueprint and evaluate stakeholder requirements. It will also and assess SOURCE UK's potential social, economic and environmental impacts, working with external parties to base assumptions on real site-specific data and preparing the foundation for potential demonstrations at each site.