Mapping digital tools for assessing circular economy practices in restaurants – An exploratory review

Resumo

In the last decades there has been an increasing concern with environmental issues which are particularly relevant to the tourism and hospitality industries. At the same time, theoretical and conceptual structures and systems have emerged to guide people, companies, public and private institutions towards a more sustainable and environmentally responsible future. These include the concept of the circular economy (CE), which can be seen as an alternative economic system that replaces the ‘end-of-life’ concept with the reduction, alternative reuse, recycling, recovery of materials in production, distribution, and consumption processes, while simultaneously seeking to guarantee environmental quality, economic prosperity and social equity, for the benefit of current and future generations (Kirchherr et al. 2017). It is also important to note that, in addition to guiding principles, stakeholders need operational tools to facilitate the adoption of these principles which can help them reducing costs (Rosendo, 2018). However, there is a lack of studies that focuses on these type of tools (Lindgreen, et al., 2020), particularly in the context of self-assessment processes. Based on these premises, the aim of this article is to identify and analyse existing self-assessment tools in the field of CE and Sustainability. This mapping will then allow the selection of the indicators and good practices considered most relevant and its eventual adaptation within the scope of the Project CEGaS: Circular Economy for a Sustainable Gastronomy – Diagnosis and Adoption of Good Practices in Restaurants.