Bridging Surplus and Sustainability: A Sharing Economy Approach to Food Waste Reduction in Malaysian Higher Education Institutions

Food waste is a pressing global challenge with significant environmental, social, and ethical implications, and higher education institutions (HEIs) are increasingly recognized as important actors in addressing this issue. Despite growing interest in sustainability, food redistribution initiatives within many HEIs remain fragmented and largely ineffective. This study explores the potential of applying sharing economy principles to food waste minimization at Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA), Malaysia. Qualitative data were collected through six semi-structured interviews with students, academic staff, and support personnel across UniSZA’s campuses.
The findings reveal two key barriers to food redistribution: social stigma and safety concerns. Stigma discouraged students from accepting surplus food due to fears of embarrassment or negative social judgement, while safety concerns particularly related to food hygiene, freshness, and liability undermined trust and limited willingness to participate in redistribution efforts. In contrast, three main drivers were identified: moral norms, social norms, and incentives. Moral and religious values encouraged food sharing as an ethical responsibility to avoid waste, while social norms supported redistribution as an accepted practice within campus communities. Incentives, such as recognition or symbolic rewards, were perceived as supportive mechanisms to sustain participation, provided they did not replace intrinsic motivations.
These findings align with core sharing economy principles, where moral and social norms reflect reciprocity, incentives function as mechanisms of value creation, and stigma and safety concerns highlight trust as a critical condition for participation. The study offers practical implications for policymakers and university administrators, emphasizing the need for formal redistribution procedures, stigma-reducing and dignified mechanisms, and clear food safety governance. By embedding sharing economy principles into institutional systems, HEIs can transform informal food-sharing practices into structured and scalable solutions that contribute to sustainable food waste reduction.

Sharing economy; food waste reduction; sustainability

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