PHILADELPHIA, PA July 30, 2025 — The Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia (SBN) is pleased to announce the launch of its 2024-2025 as a part of the Philly Tree Plan, which supports tree canopy expansion in Philadelphia. This year, SBN launched its Food Saver Inventory Wind-Down Challenge in partnership with Saxbys. In total, 28 cafes participated in the challenge with 10 cafes in the Greater Philadelphia Area.
Saxbys is “for students, by students,” meaning that locations are run and operated by student CEOS on college campuses throughout the country. During the end of every semester, Saxbys sees a decrease in consumers. This year’s challenge focused on the collective goal to maintain product availability while cutting down on food waste during the final weeks of the semester.
With invaluable support from the Natural Resources Defense Council’s (NRDC) Food Matters Initiative, SBN coordinated with Saxbys in order to shift production patterns, redistribute food products, and reduce waste through composting. The Student CEOs, tasked with implementing the challenge, each found unique ways to cut down on food waste.
This initiative was driven by the staggering reality that up to 40% of the U.S. food supply is wasted, with Philadelphia alone contributing up to 25% of its waste stream to this figure. On a global scale, food waste accounts for over 8% of greenhouse gas emissions and is responsible for 58% of landfill methane emissions.
Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, approximately 250,000 residents lack access to nutritious food, further highlighting the importance of this challenge. The report celebrates the success of the Food Saver Challenge, a pioneering effort by SBN to address food waste. The collaborative efforts of our partnership with Saxbys has resulted in meaningful strides towards diverting waste from entering landfills, promoting sustainability, and engaging our community in the fight against food waste and food insecurity.
Saxbys is an education company disguised as a coffee company: a one-of-a-kind hospitality platform delivering coveted, career-launching outcomes for students and higher education partners. In 2015, Saxbys pioneered The Saxbys Experiential Learning Platform (The Saxbys E.L.P.), a network of cafes entirely designed for and run by college students. The Saxbys E.L.P. emboldens the next generation of changemakers by providing undergraduates with entrepreneurial opportunities, complementing classroom learning with tangible real-world experience. Founded in 2005 by Nick Bayer and headquartered in Philadelphia, Saxbys operates 30 cafes across nine states; 26 of which are part of The Saxbys E.L.P. network, and include Boston University, Georgia State University, Drexel University, Bowie State University, and an array of other incredible partners.
Find the Saxbys location nearest you at hellosaxbys.com or follow @saxbys on Instagram.You can also stay updated on SBN’s food waste reduction efforts by joining the organization, subscribing to its newsletter, and following it on social media @sbngreaterphiladelphia.
