ReGrow

Inspiration

Every day, perfectly edible food is thrown away in households, restaurants, and cafés simply because there is no efficient way to redistribute it before it spoils. At the same time, communities, NGOs, and food banks struggle to source enough food to support vulnerable groups.

This mismatch between surplus and need directly contributes to climate change—decomposing food in landfills produces methane, a greenhouse gas far more harmful than CO₂.

Inspired by the theme “Creating solutions for sustainability and climate action,” ReGrow was developed to create a community-driven, technology-enabled way to rescue food before it becomes waste.

What it does

ReGrow is a mobile platform that reduces food waste and empowers communities to take climate action. It connects households and restaurants that have surplus food with NGOs, community fridges, and volunteers who can redistribute it in time.

To ensure strong alignment, ReGrow uses a problem → solution pairing approach:

Problem 1: No platform to connect food donors and receivers

• Solution 1A: Surplus Food Listing System
• Solution 1B: Real-Time Food Rescue Map

Problem 2: People forget expiry dates & waste food at home

• Solution 2A: Smart Expiry Tracker
• Solution 2B: AI Expiry Scanner (OCR to read labels automatically)

Problem 3: Poor coordination slows down food rescue

• Solution 3A: Volunteer Matching System
• Solution 3B: Automated Pickup Scheduling

Together, these features allow surplus food to be identified, matched, collected, and delivered quickly—preventing waste and reducing methane emissions.

How we built it

ReGrow was developed using a User-Centered Design (UCD) approach:

1. Research & User Interviews We interviewed households and restaurant owners. Their insights shaped the core features.

2. Low-Fidelity Sketches Initial wireframes were drawn to test ideas quickly and identify essential user flows.

3. High-Fidelity UI/UX in Figma & Flutter Each stakeholder (donor, NGO, volunteer) received a tailored interface.

4. Feature Logic & System Flow We mapped how food donations move from listing → volunteer pickup → community redistribution.

5. Testing Households and restaurant owners tested listing food, scanning expiry dates, and navigating the rescue map feature. Feedback led to UI improvements and simpler flows.

Challenges we ran into

1. Balancing simplicity with functionality We wanted to include many features, but too many screens overwhelmed users. Iterations were required to simplify UI.

2. Designing for multiple user types Different users have different needs, such as restaurants want fast listing and households want simple expiry tracking. Accommodating all without complicating the interface was challenging.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

1. A clear problem → solution structure Each sustainability problem is matched with two direct solutions.

2. AI-assisted expiry detection OCR scanning makes food logging easy and reduces household waste.

3. A sustainability impact dashboard Tracking emissions avoided helps people see how small actions contribute to climate goals.

4. A user-friendly, intuitive interface Testers rated ReGrow highly for clarity and usefulness.

What we learned

1. Tackling sustainability problems requires systems thinking, not just isolated features.

2. Simple tools like expiry reminders can significantly reduce daily food waste.

3. Designing for climate action means focusing on prevention, not just recycling.

What's next for ReGrow

We plan to add:

1. AI predictions for spoilage risk Use patterns (temperature, time since purchase, food type) to warn users when something might spoil.

2. Smart community fridge integration Real-time fridge capacity updates to avoid overcrowding.

3. Partnerships with local councils & NGOs To scale ReGrow beyond neighbourhoods into city-wide food rescue networks.

4. Gamification for sustainable habits Rewards, badges, weekly challenges, and community leaderboards.

5. Carbon footprint calculator To show users the exact climate impact of rescued food.

ReGrow’s long-term vision is to build micro-communities of sustainability, where surplus food becomes a resource—not waste.

Built With

• figma
• flutter