ECO-FRIENDLY BREW: CIRCULAR ECONOMY INITIATIVES AND OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY OF COFFEE SHOPS IN SAN JOSE CITY, NUEVA ECIJA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70059/bm4ffy37Keywords:
Sustainable Practices, Coffee Shops, Products, Packaging, People, Process, TechnologyAbstract
The growing trend of sustainable business models has made circular economy (CE) practices an essential strategy in the food and beverage service sector, particularly coffee shops. This study explored the relationship between CE initiatives and operational efficiency (OE) among 59 selected coffee shops in San Jose City, Nueva Ecija. It is guided by the framework on the key elements of OE, which aims to minimize waste and maximize output in people, processes, and technology, alongside the 2Ps of marketing—product and packaging— where CE is commonly practiced. The research focused on sustainable practices, using a descriptive-correlational design with a structured survey instrument distributed to coffee shop owners via simple random sampling, ensuring informed consent, confidentiality, and ethical considerations throughout the process. Results revealed that CE initiatives in Products (????̄=2.74) and Packaging (????̄=2.71) were moderately implemented, whereas OE was strongly evident in People (????̄=3.38), Processes (????̄=3.34), and Technology (????̄=3.48). Pearson Correlation analysis showed a strong positive relationship between product-related CE practices and all aspects of operational efficiency— People (r=0.612, p=0.000), Process (r=0.608, p=0.000), and Technology (r=0.628, p=0.000).
In contrast, Packaging-related CE practices showed weaker but still positive correlations—People (r=0.358, p=0.005), Process (r=0.335, p=0.010), and Technology (r=0.420, p=0.001). The findings suggest that while sustainable packaging efforts contribute to environmental goals, product-related CE practices have a more direct and impactful impact on business efficiency, offering valuable insights to enhance sustainability and performance in small food service businesses. The study concludes that there is a significant positive relationship between CE practices and OE.
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