Design for sustainable behaviour: the selection of behavioural intervention strategies to reduce airline food waste

Cabin waste generated on flights is an emerging issue of concern in the aviation industry. Current solutions mainly focus on airline waste management, such as collecting and sorting recyclable materials from general cabin waste. However, due to strict waste management regulations, food and beverage waste from international flights cannot be recycled or reused. 

Over recent decades, Design for Sustainable Behaviour (DfSB) has examined ways of changing user behaviour to reduce negative social and environmental impact, ranging from lowering household energy consumption to improving water consumption behaviour. Although the issue of food waste has attracted the attention of scholars, a review of the existing literature reveals that many questions have not been sufficiently answered, including: What factors influence food wasting behaviour in the food service sector? What are the essential criteria for selecting behavioural interventions? Who should be involved in selecting the best strategy? To this end, the aim of the current research is to ascertain ways of selecting suitable behaviour change strategies that will alter passenger food wasting behaviour, which will in turn, reduce in-flight food waste. 

This research followed the DfSB framework, focusing on in-flight catering services by conducting user research to identify the relationship between passenger behaviour and airline food waste. A literature review was conducted to better understand the determinants of passenger food wasting behaviour in the public environment, revealing several potential factors associated with food wasting behaviour. A scoping study using secondary data was conducted to develop a basic understanding of possible factors associated with the in-flight catering experience of passengers. Three empirical studies were then conducted to 1) ascertain the patterns of passenger food wasting behaviour, 2) identify the acceptable level of behaviour change interventions and 3) identify essential criteria for selecting appropriate behaviour change interventions that have practical application. 

The findings revealed that the passenger is the pivotal actor in airline food consumption and therefore responsible for unsustainable actions during the in-flight catering process. Participatory approaches can engage multiple stakeholders in developing behavioural intervention strategies and provide essential criteria to be considered in strategy selection. The three empirical studies were used to develop a design guideline checklist for strategy selection. It is proposed that this checklist can be applied in collaboration with stakeholders from the aviation industry to create meaningful behavioural change. The findings also suggest options for further research on behaviour change interventions and provide practical solutions for in-flight catering services.