The implementation of green behavior and green innovation in the sustainable development goals of culinary SMEs in Surakarta

Culinary small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Surakarta, Indonesia, generate substantial waste, yet the roles of green behavior and green innovation in their sustainable development remain underexplored. Prior studies have focused mainly on large manufacturers and hospitality chains, leaving resource-constrained micro enterprises largely unexamined. This study integrates the Theory of Planned Behavior and the Natural Resource-Based View to examine how these two green practices relate to sustainable development. A survey of 171 culinary SME owner-managers and supervisors was analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Green behavior and green innovation together explain 53.3% of the variance in sustainable development, with green behavior showing the stronger, followed by green innovation. These findings suggest that everyday environmental practices are a strong driver of sustainable development, alongside green innovation. For SME owners and policymakers, routine waste management and conservation practices offer a practical path toward economic, social, and environmental balance.