Bridging Operational Food Waste Practices and Pro-Environmental Consumer Behavior: Dual Pathways to Sustainable Performance in Branded Food Outlets

This paper explores the integrated effect of operational food waste practices and pro-environmental consumer behavior on sustainable performance in branded food outlets. A dual-pathway framework was developed, based on the theory of planned behavior and the norm activation model, to examine both direct and indirect impacts. A time-lagged survey design was adopted using 350 matched customer responses collected in two waves and supplemented with manager-reported operational data. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze the data. The results indicated that operational food waste practices had a significant positive effect on perceived sustainable performance (β = 0.42, p < 0.001) and pro-environmental consumer behavior (β = 0.55, p < 0.001). Pro-environmental consumer behavior also significantly influences sustainable performance (β = 0.38, p < 0.001). Mediation analysis revealed a significant indirect effect (β = 0.21), indicating partial mediation. Additionally, environmental awareness significantly moderated the relationship between operational practices and consumer behavior. The model demonstrated moderated explanatory power (R2 = 0.52). Environmental awareness further strengthened the relationship between operational practices and pro-environmental consumer behavior. Food waste is being seen more and more as a planetary health challenge, mostly because it adds to greenhouse gas emissions; also, it drives biodiversity loss, plus it ends up using much freshwater, and it can even help deplete natural resources in the long run.