Zero-Waste Program Success: A Systems Approach to Indicators at the Micro, Meso, and Macro Levels

Ashpreet Kaur, Krista L. Thyberg and David J. Tonjes ()
Additional contact information
Ashpreet Kaur: Waste Data and Analysis Center, Department of Technology and Society, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-4404, USA
Krista L. Thyberg: Waste Data and Analysis Center, Department of Technology and Society, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-4404, USA
David J. Tonjes: Waste Data and Analysis Center, Department of Technology and Society, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-4404, USA

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 8, 1-24

Abstract: Existing sustainability tracking frameworks primarily address water, energy, and material durability, with limited focus on factors driving zero-waste (ZW) initiatives. The current sustainability tracking tools especially lack comprehensive assessment mechanisms to evaluate organizational progress toward ZW, especially in higher education institutions (HEIs). This study reviews the global literature (2000–2023) on ZW indicators in organizations, focusing on HEIs, using databases such as Scopus and Web of Science, with an emphasis on waste reduction and sustainability practices. Institutional theory is used to explain the adoption of ZW programs in HEIs through normative, mimetic, and coercive isomorphisms. This study finds that ZW initiatives in HEIs are driven by shared professional norms (normative isomorphism), imitation of best practices (mimetic isomorphism), and compliance with regulatory policies (coercive isomorphism). Education, full-time staff, sustainability offices, and student advocacy play key roles, while collaboration within sustainability networks further enhances these efforts. This study emphasizes the complex interplay of these isomorphic forces across different levels of influence.

Keywords: zero waste; circular economy; indicators; systems theory; institutional theory; higher educational institutions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/8/3644/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/8/3644/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:8:p:3644-:d:1637078

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().