Tell me how old you are and I will tell you how much you waste. Behind this effective formula is much more than a slogan. The“Case Italy 2026,” presented in Rome by Waste Watcher International Observatory ahead of the 13th National Food Waste Prevention Day on 5 February, shows how food waste in Italy follows precise generational lines, intertwining culture, available time, practical skills and use of technology.
The report introduces the concept of“generational intelligence”: a form of intelligence that is not theoretical, but day-to-day, arising from experience and habits. And it is precisely here that Italy presents an interesting picture, made up of lights and shadows, but also of often underestimated potential.
Virtuous boomers, aware but disorganized young people
The data tell us that baby boomers are the least wasteful group today. Not because they have read more reports or followed awareness campaigns, but because they know how to manage food: they cook, they reuse, they plan, they dose. It is a built-in competence, the result of a material education in which food has a concrete, economic before symbolic value.
At the opposite extreme is Generation Z. It is the most attentive to environmental issues, the most exposed to #sprecozero messages, but also the one reporting higher levels of perceived household waste. The reason is not disinterest, but time fragmentation: irregular meals, eating out, poor planning, chaotic refrigerators. The awareness is there, the practice less so.
In between stand Millennials and Generation X, with different profiles but common problems. The former are informed, motivated, but often crushed by life rhythms that make it difficult to translate good intentions into consistent behavior. The latter hold the balance better, without excelling or collapsing: they plan enough, waste less than average, but rarely become role models.
Not four faults, but four different competencies
The central point of the “Italy 2026 Case” is that there is no single food waste, but at least four, as many as there are generational profiles living in Italian households today. And it is here that a structural problem emerges: the transmission of skills has broken down. The practical skills of older people do not reach the younger ones, while the digital skills of the younger generations are not put at the service of daily food management.
As agroeconomist Andrea Segrè, founder of the National Day, points out, waste prevention is not only an environmental issue, but a cultural and social fact. In a country where food is identity, memory and relationship, throwing away means losing value on multiple levels.
The real challenge: an alliance between generations
To achieve the European and UN goal (halve food waste by 2030), it is not enough to talk to everyone the same way. We need differentiated policies and campaigns that can enhance what each generation does best. Boomers can teach the “how-to,” Gen Z can bring digital tools and new metrics, Millennials can turn organization into project, Generation X can hinge.
The “Case Italy 2026” does not offer a moral ranking, but a useful map for better action. Because reducing food waste is not just about throwing less away, but rebuilding shared skills. And this, today more than ever, is a matter of collective, even before generational, intelligence.
