Purpose This study explores the challenges micro food and beverage (F difficulties sourcing sustainable materials from local suppliers; low sustainability awareness among tourists and local customers; strong customer expectations for plastic bags, straws and containers; perceived inferiority and poor durability of paper-based alternatives; and deeply institutionalised, plastic-intensive business routines. These patterns were reported by the vast majority of interviewees for each theme (typically between two-thirds and nearly all participants), underscoring that external resource dependencies and entrenched norms jointly make the transition away from plastic a complex and highly constrained process for micro-enterprises in tourism settings. Originality/value This study offers a novel contribution by spotlighting the overlooked voices of F&B micro-businesses operating in tourism-centric areas, which is an often marginalised group in sustainability research. By uncovering nuanced, real-world barriers these small enterprises face in reducing plastic waste, the research bridges a critical gap between high-level sustainability policies and grassroots implementation. The study also contextualises the role of tourist behaviour as a driving force in shaping unsustainable practices, offering new perspectives for more inclusive and effective environmental strategies in the hospitality sector.
Latip et al. (Thu,) studied this question.
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