Multilevel determinants of pro-environmental behaviour among hospitality workers

Abstract

Food waste is a significant environmental and industrial sustainability challenge in the hospitality sector, contributing to unnecessary resource consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, operational costs, and pressures on waste-management systems. The reduction of food waste depends not only on individual employee behaviour but also on the interaction among organisational practices, technological capabilities, infrastructure, institutional requirements, and broader industry conditions. This systematic literature review investigates that effective worker engagement in food waste reduction is shaped by the interaction of micro (individual), meso (organisational), and macro (contextual) factors,rather than being limited to individual behavioural factors. Following the PRISMA guidelines, 21 peer-reviewed empirical studies were identified through systematic searches of Scopus and Web of Science, with an additional eight studies identified through snowballing, yielding a final sample of 29 studies published between 2016 and 2025. Building on these findings, the review develops an integrated multi-level framework illustrating how behavioural, organisational, technological, and institutional conditions collectively influence food waste management practices. The review contributes to hospitality sustainability research, advancing a more holistic understanding of employee-driven sustainability behaviour and outlining practical implications for hospitality managers and policymakers seeking to embed sustainable food waste-reduction practices within hospitality operations.