Applications of circular economy practices in the UK small restaurants: analysis of barriers and enablers

The world is getting contaminated day by day. The increasing amount of people, vehicles,industries, projects and diminishing natural resources are causing a tremendous number ofwastages, pollution, and different other issues. If such issues go further, these issues cancreate a threat for the next generation. So, it is necessary to adapt the concept of circularbusiness model or zero wastage especially for the small restaurants. Because it has botheconomic and environmental value. In the traditional economy, the restaurant industry isresponsible for a major part of environmental pollution, and it wastes the economic value ofmany reusable products and materials. Moreover, it has a huge impact on health. So, any kindof vulnerability in this industry could bring out devastating impacts. Hence, the application ofcircular economy practices in the restaurant industry is very important to solve theseproblems and aims at creating a better world. But very few studies shed light on this issue.However, the researcher will try to fill up this gap. The objective of this study is toinvestigate the different circular economy practices adopted by the small restaurant and toidentify the key barriers and enablers related to this. Inductive approach, qualitative researchmethod, and multiple case study tactics were followed to achieve the objectives of the study.Semi-structured interviews, documents analysis and observation techniques were followed tocollect the data for the study. In total, 24 semi-structured interviews were conducted withrestaurant owners and managers between February and July, in 2019. Data analysis includedboth case by case analysis and cross-case analysis practice. Later, discussion on empiricallyfindings from case study analysis and previous literature were performed. From the analysisthe researcher has found that costs, supplier commitment, lack of knowledge and resources,lack of employee involvements are the common challenges. On the contrary, leadership,competitive advantage, stakeholder demand, legal obligation, and environmental awarenessare the main facilitators. Further, a sense of uncertainty, lack of knowledge about governmentofferings, and ethical reasons to implement CBM are the new themes that have been foundfrom this study. The findings of this study would help managers and policymakers to enhancetheir knowledge about resource circularity in the restaurant industry and to devise efficientstrategies to endorse the culture of CE in the restaurant industry. Although the aboveoutcomes provide constructive results for the practitioners and policymakers this study is notexempt from the limitations, predominantly stemming from the used approach, the sample,and its features. Future research could validate the findings through conducting quantitativeor mixed method research by gathering a greater sample size through a combination ofinterviews and survey questionnaires.