From Posts to Action: Leveraging Social Media to Inspire Food Waste Reduction in Hospitality for a Net Zero Future

Weifeng Chang, Mingdi Jiang () and Muhammad Hassan Arshad
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Weifeng Chang: School of Culture and Tourism, Kaifeng University, 157 Dongjing Street, Kaifeng 475004, China
Mingdi Jiang: College of Mobile Communication, Chongqing 400015, China
Muhammad Hassan Arshad: School of Business Management, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Sintok 06010, Kedah, Malaysia

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 24, 1-18

Abstract: This study explores the contribution of social media to food waste reduction among hospitality customers as part of the global net zero emissions agenda. It does this by using the Stimulus–Organism–Response (SOR) model to examine how social media food waste reduction promotion affects hospitality customer food waste intentions, mediated by social media-driven environmental motivation and sustainability-driven customer happiness. Moreover, gratitude towards food waste initiatives moderates these effects such that motivation and emotional satisfaction are more strongly associated with sustainable behaviors. We find that social media campaigns can effectively elicit cognitive and emotional engagement, which in turn strengthens food waste reduction intentions, using data from 404 hospitality customers in China. Furthermore, the study extends the SOR model to sustainability and consumer behavior literature and provides practical guidance for hospitality businesses to harness social media in engaging customers in sustainability efforts. Organizations can enhance the effectiveness of their environmental campaigns by using emotionally resonant messages and highlighting gratitude. Filling important gaps, this research explores mechanisms driving sustainable behaviors in line with strategies to achieve net zero emissions.

Keywords: food waste reduction; social media promotion; sustainability; hospitality industry; net zero emissions; food loss (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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