Stimulating food waste reduction behaviour among hotel guests through context manipulation

Food waste is a significant problem in the holiday hotel industry. However, although sustainability theorists argue for consumer-oriented behavioural interventions, there is a lack of empirical studies that could clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of such interventions. This study addresses this research gap and uses an experimental design to be able to identify cause-and-effect-relationships between an intervention promoting food waste reduction and real guest behaviour. The study context is an all-you-can-eat buffet restaurant in a typical sun-and-beach holiday hotel.

The experimental results demonstrate a direct effect of the context manipulation, as reflected in a significant 14.4% reduction in edible plate waste. In contrast, attitudes remained constant highlighting that their change is not a necessary condition for behaviour change. Furthermore, significant differences in attention to the tools were found between the three contact points ‘entrance to the restaurant’, ‘buffet’, and ‘guest table’ with ‘guest table’ being by far the strongest contact point. In summary, it can be said that consumers can be encouraged to act responsibly even in hedonistic, unrestricted consumption contexts if the communication tools are placed effectively. Hotels thus have the opportunity to involve their guests in environmental protection measures.