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Sustainability
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Waste Minimization: Strategies for the Reduction and Prevention of All...
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Waste Minimization: Strategies for the Reduction and Prevention of All Forms of Waste

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2021) | Viewed by 35979

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Dorothée Honhon

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Naveen Jindal School of Management, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA
Interests: waste minimization; operations management
Prof. Dr. Sandra Transchel

E-Mail Website
Assistant Guest Editor
Kuehne Logistics University, Hamburg, Germany
Interests: inventory management; perishable products; food waste; supply chain coordination; random yield problems; operations management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

“Waste is only waste if we waste it”. Well, there is plenty of waste in our world: each year over 2 billion tons of municipal solid waste makes its way to landfills worldwide. This includes food waste (corresponding to 30–40% of all food produced), packaging waste (much of which is plastic), electronic waste (from discarded electrical and electronic devices) and textile waste (accelerated by the fast-fashion trend).

All of this waste causes greenhouse gas emissions, which cause climate change.

Minimizing waste will involve changes in products and processes as well as in consumer attitudes and consumption patterns towards the creation of a society that is more respectful of its resources.

In this Special Issue on waste minimization, we consider all forms of waste (including food, electronics, packaging and textile) and all types of interventions to tackle it (centered around the “Refuse, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle” motto) at all levels of the supply chain (from the farm or manufacturer all the way to the end consumer). Contributions using modeling approaches as well as empirical research using datasets or case studies are welcome.

Dr. Dorothée Honhon
Prof. Dr. Sandra Transchel
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • waste
  • food
  • e-waste
  • electronics
  • textile
  • plastic
  • packaging
  • refuse–reduce–reuse–recycle
  • landfill
  • resources

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 367 KiB  
Article
Reducing Food Waste at Retail Stores—An Explorative Study
by Lena Riesenegger and Alexander Hübner
Sustainability 2022, 14(5), 2494; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14052494 - 22 Feb 2022
Cited by 43 | Viewed by 20683
Abstract
Grocery retailers are in a dilemma. They often prioritize availability over other aspects due to strong competition in this sector and the imperative of realizing sales. The target for many grocery retailers has been high on-shelf availability and large variety to increase customer [...] Read more.
Grocery retailers are in a dilemma. They often prioritize availability over other aspects due to strong competition in this sector and the imperative of realizing sales. The target for many grocery retailers has been high on-shelf availability and large variety to increase customer satisfaction. However, this policy contributes to a significant share of overstock. The economic pressure of unsold products, the environmental impact of wasted resources, and the ethical questions arising from discarding edible food, have increasingly thrown the spotlight on grocery retailers to change their strategies. Grocery retailers are thus facing a trade-off between increasing attractiveness via high availability on the one hand, and the environmental, social, and financial impacts of overstock, on the other. One common practice in dealing with overstock is mainly being reactive to mitigate the impact, using initiatives such as price promotions or donations. This explorative study investigates options for how grocery retailers can proactively reduce food waste via better planning of their store operations. Seven case companies participated in this qualitative study, where we focused on ultra-fresh products as the most important waste category. Face-to-face interviews with managers were the primary source for data collection. The heterogeneity of our sample enabled us to build a common understanding of proactive options to reduce food waste with enhanced operations. The analysis reveals six coherent and distinct topics. A basis for all proactive operational planning processes is (1) the use of a comprehensive database and information systems. This builds the foundation for (2) tailored demand forecasts related to perishable product-specific requirements. Subsequently, consideration is needed of (3) the enhanced planning of assortment sizes, (4) the definitions of differentiated service levels and (5) the tailored ordering and replenishment processes that impact food waste. Finally, (6) salvage options, such as dynamic pricing, secondary usage, and sustainable waste streams constitute valuable mitigation strategies. We formulated 15 propositions that could support the decisions of grocery retailers developing proactive food waste reduction practices. These propositions will guide future research, as they provide a coherent and cohesive picture of related topics in grocery retail operations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Waste Minimization: Strategies for the Reduction and Prevention of All Forms of Waste)
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17 pages, 743 KiB  
Article
Public Perceptions of Waste Management in Sri Lanka: A Focus Group Study
by Sophie Gudmann Knutsson, Therese Asplund, Gunnar Höst and Konrad J. Schönborn
Sustainability 2021, 13(23), 12960; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132312960 - 23 Nov 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 5965
Abstract
The prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse of waste is promoted by the United Nation’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, but many countries lack both necessary resources and infrastructure for sound waste management. While literature pinpoints the need for an engaged public and suggests [...] Read more.
The prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse of waste is promoted by the United Nation’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, but many countries lack both necessary resources and infrastructure for sound waste management. While literature pinpoints the need for an engaged public and suggests a range of factors and supportive actions that may impact citizens’ waste behaviour, qualitative in-depth studies for engaging in waste management practices remain scarce. This study aimed to investigate perceptions of waste management and underlying behaviours for waste practices in the context of household waste management in Sri Lanka. Six focus group interviews were held with 23 residents across 6 regions in Sri Lanka. A thematic analysis of the interview transcripts revealed perceptions of four waste management systems, together with five motivational aspects of waste practices in urban, suburban, and rural areas. The analysis further considers how the motivational aspects are interlinked with practices within citizens’ perceived systems. In addition to the novel thematic contribution to the field, the findings can be used as a foundation to inform strategies to communicate with selected target audiences about their local challenges for sustainable waste management practices, in an attempt to influence citizen behaviours. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Waste Minimization: Strategies for the Reduction and Prevention of All Forms of Waste)
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Review

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12 pages, 375 KiB  
Review
Exploring the Connections between Backrooms, Inventory Record Inaccuracies, and Waste
by Madison J. Bixler and Dorothée Honhon
Sustainability 2021, 13(17), 9490; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13179490 - 24 Aug 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 5836
Abstract
This paper explores the impact of retail store backrooms on inventory record inaccuracies (IRI) and waste. A trend in the retail industry is operating in the absence of a backroom. Benefits of operating without a backroom can include more employee presence on the [...] Read more.
This paper explores the impact of retail store backrooms on inventory record inaccuracies (IRI) and waste. A trend in the retail industry is operating in the absence of a backroom. Benefits of operating without a backroom can include more employee presence on the sales floor, quicker replenishment (or the elimination of traditional backroom to shelf replenishment entirely), lower on-hand inventory, and the reduction of waste in the form of time, labor, cashflow, and product obsolescence. By conducting a literature review of the published literature on retail backrooms, this paper explores two additional unstated benefits to retailers operating without a backroom; specifically, the reduction of IRI and waste—an angle that has been previously understudied in the current academic literature. The objectives of this paper include defining a link between the existence of a backroom and waste/IRI, presenting an opportunity for future research in this area of study, and providing practical advice for corporations that wish to operate with or without a backroom. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Waste Minimization: Strategies for the Reduction and Prevention of All Forms of Waste)
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