Let’s talk about household food waste – A focused study on the practices and perspectives of young urban citizens

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master_Zhang_Xinyu_2023.pdf (350.2 MB)

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School of Arts, Design and Architecture | Master's thesis
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2023

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muo

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Mcode

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cid

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en

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105 + 10

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Abstract

Food waste is a universal problem that accounts for climate change and many environmental damages, threatening the existence and wellness of all humans and non-humans. United Nations member states recognizes the urgency of reducing food loss and waste and aims to transform the current food system into sustainable production and consumption patterns by 2030. The household sector, as the single most significant contributor to food waste, must be better instructed to change wasteful consumption behaviors and contribute to sustainable development. Numerous practices and initiatives have been proposed and conducted to address the household food waste problem. However, many should be more effective in influencing people’s behaviors and consumption habits. The thesis distinguishes young people living in urban areas as the focal group whose relationship with food waste benefits from focused investigation. It proposes three research questions targeting 1) the situation – the current state of household food waste in Finland, 2) the people – the attitudes and behaviors of young urban citizens on food (waste), and 3) the design – how design interventions might influence people’s food waste behavior and inspire more sustainable consumption. Literature research analyzes the existing practices for reducing household food waste on their categories and reasons of (in)effectiveness. Qualitative research, including eight fridge studies and an ideation workshop, gains an original understanding on the target group’s household food (waste) practices and allows their direct contribution to problem-solving. The qualitative research results in six insights into young urban citizens’ food (waste) performances and four categories of ideas for change-making. Building on research findings, the thesis proposes a Roadmap to a Sustainable Food Future, consisting of a main plot – a seven-year plan to a resilient food system and a subplot – a package of ideas and suggestions based on future foresights. The seven-year plan presents a strategic, progressive approach for tackling the food waste dilemma with three chronological stages and various activities respectively; the subplot expects to help provident governments prepare their citizens and themselves for highly uncertain, data-driven future worlds. The thesis contributes to the knowledge on young urban citizens’ household food waste performances. It recommends interested governments and authorities to implement the roadmap or separate activities, and it argues that whoever plans food waste reduction measures should systemically review the existing food system, identify and involve key stakeholders and collectively plan feasible actions in a suitable timeline. Furthermore, the thesis emphasizes the importance of a holistic approach to behavior change. It encourages researchers to engage deeper than the surface-level phenomenon and instead to systemically consider the perceptible events/results through underlying attitudes/values and the intricate connections in between. Finally, the thesis provides a practical reference for practitioners conducting similar studies, reminding them of the importance of patience, open-mindedness and agility in research and analysis.

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Savolainen, Kaisa

Thesis advisor

Savolainen, Kaisa

Keywords

young people, urban citizens, household food waste, behavior change, sustainable development, service design

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https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:aalto-202311276932

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[master] Taiteiden ja suunnittelun korkeakoulu / ARTS