Reframing Stakeholder Roles in Multistakeholder Partnerships: A Role Theory Approach to Collaborative Action on Food Waste

Multistakeholder partnerships (MSPs) are promoted as collaborative arrangements to address food waste, yet most research focuses on core stakeholders directly involved in food production and consumption, leaving the roles of supporting stakeholders underexplored. This study redirects attention to these vital actors, such as governmental bodies, financial institutions, and industry associations, whose engagement can be important to initiating, stabilizing, and sustaining collaboration. Drawing on role theory, we examine the case of Food Waste Free United in the Netherlands through interviews and secondary data. We identify four dynamic role orientations enacted by supporting stakeholders: mediator, facilitator, supporter, and influencer. Each role embodies distinct practices, ranging from building trust and establishing data sharing arrangements to mobilizing networks, shaping policy, and strengthening capabilities, which can contribute to the stability and effectiveness of MSPs. Our analysis further reveals that motivations to engage extend beyond external pressure, encompassing a search for embeddedness within the partnership ecosystem and opportunities for learning. By applying role theory, we advance understanding of how supporting stakeholders enable MSPs to move beyond fragile arrangements toward sustained, systemic impact. These insights offer theoretical contributions to stakeholder and role theory that, in turn, inform practical guidance for designing partnerships that more effectively integrate diverse actors in the fight against food waste.