Consumers' motivation to reduce food waste – A quantitative study on young adult’s motivation and actions to reduce food waste

Abstract

Objectives

The main objectives of this paper are to explore how motivated young adult consumers are to reduce food waste. It also aims at finding which factors motivate consumers most and understanding how they can be motivated using this information. In addition, different actions that consumers can take to reduce food waste are analysed.

Summary

This paper focuses on young adult consumers motivation to reduce food waste. The paper attempts to find which factors particularly help consumers reduce food waste, and how consumers could be motivated even more. Conceptual framework was created to explore the relationship between motivation and food waste levels and then operationalized with an online survey. The results indicated that young adult consumers are aware of their responsibility to reduce food waste and environmental motivators predict lower food waste levels than other motivators.

Conclusions

Most young adult consumers are motivated to reduce food waste and they also acknowledge that they are responsible for reducing food waste. Food waste is considered mostly moral issue although moral motivators do not predict reduced food waste levels. In fact, environmental motivators predicted reduced food waste levels and play the biggest role when designing motivation programs. Also, young adults felt that re-using leftovers and better shopping planning would be the most helpful ways to reduce food waste.