Abstract
Dealing with food waste is a major concern for the food system in the transition towards a circular economy (CE). Previous studies have developed various solutions to address the issue, but the role of for-profit start-ups remains poorly understood. This paper aims to analyse the forms of institutional work conducted by start-ups to prevent and reduce food waste. This paper adopts the multiple case study approach, utilising a three-year netnography of the emerging food waste reduction business and interview data from company representatives. We outline four categories in which the start-ups conduct institutional work: appearance of food, quantity of food, edibility of food, and living with food. The start-ups disrupt existing institutions that lead to food waste, as well as create new institutions to enable and reinforjavascript:void(0);ce their business operations. We argue that the start-ups have an influential role in changing the normative and cognitive-cultural institutional pillars in the shift towards a CE. The article provides a contribution to studies on the CE and food waste and has practical implications for both established and start-up businesses.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Industrial Marketing Management |
Volume | 93 |
Early online date | 23 Aug 2020 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2021 |
Publication type | A1 Journal article-refereed |
Keywords
- Institutional work
- startups
- food waste
- circular economy
Publication forum classification
- Publication forum level 2