Επιχειρηματική υπευθυνότητα και βιωσιμότητα : η σπατάλη τροφίμων στον κλάδο των ξενοδοχείων

Πάλλης, Θεόδωρος

Corporate responsibility and sustainability : food waste in the hotel industry

Master Thesis

Author

Πάλλης, Θεόδωρος

Date

2023-04

Abstract

With the climate crisis affecting our lives in more and more areas, practices of adopting sustainable behaviours and innovative initiatives are on the rise. Recent actions and reform policies are paving the way for businesses, governmental bodies and society to be able to contribute actively to the development of strategies and the acquisition of responsible consciences and mindsets towards a sustainable transition with life and people at its centre. This thesis, based on the recent literature and the trends in the integration of sustainable strategies by companies including those in the hospitality industry, aims to highlight the importance of the term sustainability by managers and organizations. At the same time, it aims to raise awareness about the food loss and waste (FLW) phenomenon, given the limited knowledge among citizens and workers due to the lack of basic awareness and education on the issue at all stages of the supply chain, a waste that is found at very high levels mainly in home and restaurant kitchens and specifically at the consumption and preparation stage. Focusing on the issue of food management in the hotel sector, terms related to sustainable innovation, environmental balance and social well-being will be analysed, with the aim of highlighting problems and ways to address them. Given the predictions of a growing global population in the coming years and the environmental burden of imprudently food waste, a situation that leads to environmental degradation and climate variations, the approach to the phenomenon by both private businesses and governmental bodies so far reveals many gaps in policies, decision-making and response measures. With the international directives issued in recent years in the context of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which aim, among other things, to develop sustainable business strategies, to create healthy partnerships that respect people and the environment, to combat phenomena such as extreme hunger and to promote responsible consumption and production, the strategic orientation of those in charge and the intention to improve the current situation are clearly demonstrated, emphasizing the means needed and on which efforts to achieve change are based. With the term of business sustainability being at the core of the thesis, it will also analyse how businesses in the context of the green transition will be able to adapt and incorporate sustainable practices without putting their profitability at risk, emphasizing on terms such as the Triple Bottom Line (3P's) and the development of ESG criteria. Given that the banking system is now obliged to examine these criteria to finance a business, while providing significant and measurable privileges to those who transparently adopt them, charting a course for a sustainable transition, for all businesses regardless of size, becomes necessary. Moreover, it will be examined how the issue of food waste is a problem both at the consumer and business level, especially in the hospitality sector, where technology and innovative tools, which aim to measure the quantities produced and reuse them in the context of the circular economy, tend to become an integral part of corporate governance and, by extension, to limit the phenomenon, lay the foundations for transforming the problem into sustainable innovation, while creating added value for themselves, the environment and the wider society in which they operate.

Postgraduate Studies Programme

Βιοοικονομία, Κυκλική Οικονομία και Βιώσιμη Ανάπτυξη

Department

Σχολή Οικονομικών, Επιχειρηματικών και Διεθνών Σπουδών. Τμήμα Οικονομικής Επιστήμης

Number of pages

142

Language

Greek

URI

https://dione.lib.unipi.gr/xmlui/handle/unipi/15451
http://dx.doi.org/10.26267/unipi_dione/2873

Collections

Τμήμα Οικονομικής Επιστήμης

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Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as
Αναφορά Δημιουργού-Μη Εμπορική Χρήση-Όχι Παράγωγα Έργα 3.0 Ελλάδα