Food waste is solvable.
Guilt doesn't change behavior. Good design does. Core Matter creates campaigns, tools, and programs that make wasting less and composting more genuinely satisfying.
We work at three levels: household habits, shared practices, and the systems that determine whether food ends up in compost or landfill. Explore our projects below, along with what’s cooking.
CAPABILITIES
Communications people eat up.
Every project starts with behavioral science: understanding people’s behavior around food today, what gets in the way of change, and what will make new habits stick.
Education & awareness
We find the framing that makes food waste make sense to your audience, then turn research and complex systems into graphics and learning materials people remember and act on.
Campaign design
Our campaigns use what motivates people to shift food habits at home, at work, and across a community. The strongest campaigns also build the public support that makes new policy possible.
Toolkits & experiences
Good intentions don't reduce food waste. Action does. Our toolkits, apps, websites, and installations turn intentions into clear steps, with ways to measure what's changing.
United States of Compost
A national composting campaign, launching early 2027
How does your state stack up? This site grades every US state on how many residents can access municipal composting, turning a patchy national picture into a friendly competition. Learn what's available where you live, and grab a ready-to-send email template to ask elected representatives for wider access.
Bite-size policy
Tools that help cities put food waste laws into practice
A new law or citywide initiative only works when the people it affects know what to do. We turn complex policy into short, clear tools they'll read and act on. Current projects:
SB 1383 property manager kit
Launching Fall 2026 for California cities
This kit explains the municipal composting system to landlords and property managers, helps them enroll, and provides environmental signage and sets of toolkits for each of their units.
Multifamily composting toolkits
Launching 2026 for cities
Ready-to-use materials that help apartment and condo buildings set up composting that residents will actually use.
PARTNER WITH US
Too many cooks? Not here.
We're always looking to meet people who want to see less food go to waste, whether you work for a city, run a business, or organize in your own community, anywhere in the world.
Food waste is a problem every country shares, and our work gets stronger with every partner who brings something to the table. Have a project in mind, or just an idea worth exploring? We'd love to hear it.
