Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

Despite presenting the intentions to reduce their household food waste, environmentally-conscious consumers contribute to the issue of food waste. This discrepancy between intention and behaviour challenges the theoretical model for social behaviour – the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) – which supposes behaviour being primarily driven by intentions. This intention-behaviour gap regarding food waste is evident and relevant further investigated in respect to the particular consumer perspectives (UNEP 2021). The issue of food waste accounts for negative economic, social and especially environmental impacts (Britz et al. 2019) and consumers can be perceived as important players regarding the mitigation of the gap due to their own contribution to food waste and their potential influential impact on other stakeholders. This research study aims to create a better understanding of the consumers’ perspective on their perceived reasons for the phenomenon of the intention-behaviour gap as well as drivers and needed support to actually reduce food waste in their households. To approach this objective, this research firstly gives insights on previous literature related to the TPB and consumer food waste behaviour. Later, this study examines these theoretical insights empirically through qualitative consumer interviews with self-proclaimed environmentally-conscious individuals. Thus, the research enables a focussed qualitative analysis of personal perspectives and perceptions of food waste behaviour and the intention-behaviour gap. The results show that besides intentions, the social and physical environment, management skills, implementation knowledge and issue prioritisation of consumers directly influence food waste behaviour of environmentally-conscious consumers. These factors are thus relevant for mitigating the intention-behaviour gap and demonstrate possible entry points for supporting interventions for household food waste reduction by other stakeholders. This study offers comprehensive insights for understanding consumers’ viewpoints on food waste behaviour and the intention-behaviour gap and enables the construction of a more holistic extension of the TPB.