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The purpose of this study was to investigate amount of food waste and the number of food packages used in Finnish households with university students. The aim of the paper is to answer the following research questions: How much avoidable food waste is generated in the participating various sized households? How much unavoidable food waste is generated in the participating various sized households? How many food packages are classified as deposit, municipal waste or recycled in the participating various sized households?

The data was collected among the students in Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences. A total of results from 432 households with 890 persons are presented. The participating households weighed their unavoidable and avoidable food waste and calculated the food packages during one week. The results were analysed in Excel and the statistical significance assessed using a t-test.

The average avoidable and unavoidable food wastages were 498 g/week/person, i.e. 25.9 kg/year/person and 543 g/week/person, i.e. 28.3 kg/year/person, respectively. Single-person households generate more avoidable and unavoidable food waste as well as packages per person than other sized households. The results show that there is no correlation between the amount of avoidable food waste/person, unavoidable food waste/person or packages/person.

This kind of research has sparsely been reported. The food and package wastage definitions vary, and thus it is difficult to compare these results with other reported results.

The purpose of this short communication is to shed light on the accuracy of quantification methods of household food waste (HFW).

Thirty-seven recently published studies in HFW were surveyed for this commentary. Exemplary methods and findings of these studies were compared.

It is challenging to draw conclusions on the amount of the HFW per person/town/country due to the inconsistent and heterogeneous methodologies used. We recommend using direct measurements or triangulation of methods to help ensure valid findings. Governments should incentivize consumers to deliver their food waste to designated locations where weights could accurately be assessed. Monetary or tax incentives could help stimulate an accurate accounting of waste and encourage reductions. Food waste measurements should be consistently reported as kg/person/week.

Food and water security must be provided for all. It is estimated that one-third of edible food for humans is currently lost or wasted globally. According to the World Food Program (WFP), this is about 1.3 billion tons of food per year and at the same time this wasted food could be sufficient to feed two billion people.

The aim of this paper is to fill a gap in the literature about the magnitude and significance of HFW and its impact on the environment and social welfare. Currently, there are no generally accepted uniform methods of food waste quantification at the household level. This original communication brings the importance and challenges of the quantification of HFW to light.

Contemporary technological disruptions are espoused as though they stimulate sustainable growth in the built environment through the Green Internet of Things (G-IoT). Learning from discipline-specific experiences, this paper articulates recent advancements in the knowledge and concepts of G-IoT in relation to the construction and smart city sectors. It provides a scoping review for G-IoT as an overlooked dimension. Attention was paid to modern circularity, cleaner production and sustainability as key benefits of G-IoT adoption in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs). In addition, this study also investigates the current application and adoption strategies of G-IoT.

This study uses the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) review approach. Resources are drawn from Scopus and Web of Science repositories using apt search strings that reflect applications of G-IoT in the built environment in relation to construction management, urban planning, societies and infrastructure. Thematic analysis was used to analyze pertinent themes in the retrieved articles.

G-IoT is an overlooked dimension in construction and smart cities so far. Thirty-three scholarly articles were reviewed from a total of 82 articles retrieved, from which five themes were identified: G-IoT in buildings, computing, sustainability, waste management and tracking and monitoring. Among other applications, findings show that G-IoT is prominent in smart urban services, healthcare, traffic management, green computing, environmental protection, site safety and waste management. Applicable strategies to hasten adoption include raising awareness, financial incentives, dedicated work approaches, G-IoT technologies and purposeful capacity building among stakeholders. The future of G-IoT in construction and smart city research is in smart drones, building information modeling, digital twins, 3D printing, green computing, robotics and policies that incentivize adoption.

This study adds to the normative literature on envisioning potential strategies for adoption and the future of G-IoT in construction and smart cities as an overlooked dimension. No previous study to date has reviewed pertinent literature in this area, intending to investigate the current applications, adoption strategies and future direction of G-IoT in construction and smart cities. Researchers can expand on the current study by exploring the identified G-IoT applications and adoption strategies in detail, and practitioners can develop implementation policies, regulations and guidelines for holistic G-IoT adoption.

The study aimed to investigate the relationship between the intention to avoid food waste (IAFW) and the use of food-sharing technologies, such as internet platforms and mobile applications. The study utilized a model based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) as an extension of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT2).

An online platform tool (Prolific), and online self-report questionnaires were used to gather empirical data on 309 individuals. These data were then analyzed using two-step structural equation modeling.

The model explained 76% of the variance in user adoption of food-sharing mobile applications and internet platforms, supporting seven out of the nine tested hypotheses. Effort expectancy, social influence and IAFW were found to be the significant determinants of the behavioural intention to use food-sharing mobile applications and internet platforms (BITA). IAFW partially mediated the relationship between perceived behavior control and BITA. Age played a moderator role between the adoption of food-sharing mobile applications and internet platforms. However, IAFW did not play a mediating role between environmental concerns and BITA. The facilitating condition construct had an insignificant impact on BITA.

The current study was affected by some limitations. First, the data may not be considered as statistically representative because they were gathered online. However, the varied sociodemographic backgrounds of the respondents would boost the reliability of the findings. However, it would be prudent to use caution when extrapolating these findings to other contexts and cultures. Second, environmental concerns and perceived behavior control related to the avoidance of food waste behavior, as well as other factors that affect technology acceptance, may alter with time. Data from cross-sections may cause difficulties in following such changes. Thus, we recommend that longitudinal research studies aimed at building on our findings should be conducted. A qualitative study may help gain deeper insights into the relationship between IAFW related behavior and the adoption of various technologies to share leftover food, thereby revealing further details regarding different perspectives held by various respondents.

The positive relationship between environmental concerns and IAFW underlines the significance of investing in this area to raise social awareness and public concern for environmental safety. Additional initiatives aimed at increasing public concern regarding environmental issues may increase the overall IAFW. Instead of concentrating on a single source pertaining to the avoidance of food waste, the government and policy regulations should focus on regulating and eliminating waste from all sources that generate waste. The adoption of technology to share leftover meals may be influenced by social factors. Increased advertising for food-sharing mobile apps and online platforms may persuade more users to join. Additionally, building additional platforms and mobile apps in these fields with friendlier interactions may improve the cyber environment, making it easier for people to use them. By providing information, tools and assistance to promote the reduction of food wastage, policymakers may create interventions that enhance public perception and behavior toward the reduction of food waste. In conclusion, the findings of our study indicated that the social impact and ease of use are important factors in determining the adoption of food-sharing technology. Cooperation with social influencers, policymakers and developers may lead to the development of user-friendly technology that may improve accessibility to food-sharing technology.

In order to encourage the adoption of food-sharing technology among various age groups, policymakers may create initiatives that take the specific requirements and traits of each group into consideration. Policymakers and governments may also create legislation and regulations that are tailored to guarantee food safety and health security for users of food-sharing technology, such as instructions for handling and storing food as well as safeguards against food fraud and contamination.

This study addressed practical issues related to managing and reducing household food wastage through social sharing via mobile applications and internet platforms. The proposed model, which integrated TPB with UTAUT2 in the context of food wastage and technology acceptance, contributes to the current body of knowledge.

The purpose of this paper is to help better understand the translation process of the management control system (MCS) of privatised solid waste management (SWM) towards creating a stable network.

Drawing on the actor network theory (ANT), the case of a privatised SWM was studied. Data were collected from all entities involved in the privatisation process of SWM, which include Department A, Corporation X and the private sector concessionaire. Six documents were reviewed, 20 interviews were conducted and two observations were carried out.

The findings reveal that the control mechanism of SWM is complex, involving the interaction between human and non-human actors. Non-human actors include the key performance indicators (KPIs) and the concessionaire agreement (CA), which are the main control mechanisms towards creating a stable SWM network. Essentially, stability is achieved when the KPIs and CA can influence the activities of both intra- and inter-organisational relationships.

This paper provides a better understanding of the translation process of the MCS that adds to the stability of the network of a privatised SWM from the lens of the ANT.

Solid, liquid and e-waste pose serious health hazards, environmental pollution and contribute to climate change. To address these issues of solid waste management (SWM), amidst many policy decisions, the Government of India roped in several institutions, including self-help groups (SHGs), into the Swachh Bharat Movement (Clean India Mission). This study aims to illustrate the significant contributions of SHG’s in tackling SWM, particularly the plastic waste menace in India, while fostering socio-economic values and sustainable development goals (SDGs).

Using a from-the-field approach, qualitative data were collected from 30 members of three SHGs to understand their significant contributions in mitigating plastic waste.

This research identifies three major themes: economic value creation, social value creation and SDGs via collection and reduction of plastic waste landfills. Furthermore, several related subthemes are identified.

This study offers pragmatic solutions to deal with plastic waste at personal, community, institutional and governmental levels. Moreover, it recommends engaging SHGs to promote sustainable waste management practices such as segregating wastes at source, regulating plastic bag usage, advocating behavioural change towards waste generation and protecting the environment.

The authors consider a proven case of SHG’s contribution to protect the environment and emphasize the need to involve more such groups in waste management practices.

The pressing issues of climate change and environmental degradation call for a reevaluation of how we approach economic activities. Both leaders and corporations are now shifting their focus, toward adopting practices and embracing the concept of circular economy (CE). Within this context, the Food and Beverage (F&B) sector, which significantly contributes to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, holds the potential for undergoing transformations. This study aims to explore the role that Artificial Intelligence (AI) can play in facilitating the adoption of CE principles, within the F&B sector.

This research employs the Best Worst Method, a technique in multi-criteria decision-making. It focuses on identifying and ranking the challenges in implementing AI-driven CE in the F&B sector, with expert insights enhancing the ranking’s credibility and precision.

The study reveals and prioritizes barriers to AI-supported CE in the F&B sector and offers actionable insights. It also outlines strategies to overcome these barriers, providing a targeted roadmap for businesses seeking sustainable practices.

This research is socially significant as it supports the F&B industry’s shift to sustainable practices. It identifies key barriers and solutions, contributing to global climate change mitigation and sustainable development.

The research addresses a gap in literature at the intersection of AI and CE in the F&B sector. It introduces a system to rank challenges and strategies, offering distinct insights for academia and industry stakeholders.

This study aims to explore the use of a double diamond design method to engage the industry in a sector-wide response to the issues of food waste as constructed by consumers. This particular design method is achieved by an exploration of a collective intelligence-participatory design (CIPD) project to engage industry participants in understanding and responding to consumers’ perceptions of the role of packaging in reducing food waste.

Using the UK Design Council’s double diamond design method as a guiding conceptual principle, the project recruited industry participants from medium to large food businesses across various food categories. Two scoping workshops with industry were held prior to the initiation of a 12-stage project (n = 57), and then two industry workshops were held (n = 4 and 14). Eighty participants completed an online qualitative survey, and 23 industry participants took part in a Think Tank Sprint Series. The Think Tanks used participatory design approaches to understand barriers and opportunities for change within food industry sub-sectors and test the feasibility and acceptability of package designs to reduce consumer waste.

For CIPD to work for complex problems involving industry, it is vital that stakeholders across macro- and micro-subsystems are involved and that adequate time is allowed to address that complexity. Using both the right tools for engagement and the involvement of the right mix of representatives across various sectors of industry is critical to reducing blame shift. The process of divergence and convergence allowed clear insight into the long-term multi-pronged approach needed for the complex problem.

Participatory design has been useful within various behaviour change settings. This paper has demonstrated the application of the double diamond model in a social marketing setting, adding value to an industry-wide project that included government, peak bodies, manufacturing and production and retailers.

This science mapping analysis aims to discern current, emerging and future trends of pro-environmental behavior and the theory of planned behavior (TPB).

Bibliometric analysis through bibliographic coupling and co-word analysis were used to reveal the progress of this phenomenon. Of the 1,120 documents search in Web of Science (WoS) database, 1,031 were used in this analysis after restricting to journal publications and studies after the year 2000.

The results show that four themes emerged, namely the fundamentals of TPB for pro-environmental behavior, antecedents of pro-environmental behavior, integration of TPB with the norm activation model and value belief theory and studies of pro-environmental behavior in developing countries. Environmental concern, environmental awareness, environmental knowledge and environmental education were the most commonly integrated variables.

This research is unique in the sense that the integration between TPB and other prominent theories of pro-environmental behavior is vital to predict individual pro-environmental behavior and understand the fundamental scientific importance of the domain. The norm activation model has been integrated with TPB in many pro-environmental behaviors. Mainstream media stakeholders should design and implement a plan for strategic communication and awareness campaigns in the community to encourage consumers to engage in many behaviors that lead to environmental sustainability.

This study presents a science mapping approach to uncover crucial knowledge structure related to pro-environmental behavior and the theory of planned behavior.

The current chapter proposes a theoretical framework to assess the sustainability of economic growth in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) States. The authors integrate insights from endogenous growth models and consider the unique socioeconomic characteristics of the GCC region to provide a comprehensive and tailored approach to understanding the determinants of economic growth and formulating effective policy measures to foster sustainable development and growth. This chapter highlights the environmental challenges faced by GCC; based on this, the authors suggested indicators to construct a theoretical framework (Economic Growth, Climatic Indicators, Energy Indicators, Social Indicators, and Economic Resources Indicators). The authors propose that policymakers and researchers in GCC States should take these factors into account when devising policies or conducting research aimed at fostering sustainable economic growth. Overall, this chapter presents significant insights for policymakers, researchers, and stakeholders involved in promoting the sustainable economic advancement of the GCC States.