Environmental Awareness and Moral Commitment in Water Usage in SMEs

In recent years, there has been an increase in awareness regarding the sustainable use of water across various industries, including the gastronomic sector. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the impact of corporate social responsibility on environmental awareness, moral commitment, corporate image, and the intention of gastronomic SMEs to make proper use of water. To achieve this, 354 surveys were conducted with restaurant entrepreneurs in Santiago, Chile, and a PLS-SEM model was applied for data analysis. Among the results, it is noteworthy that social responsibility had a greater effect on ecological awareness as well as on the intention to care for water. These findings reflect the importance of water conservation by entrepreneurs and their employees, as they are more directly involved in managing this resource.