Exploring tools to promote pro-environmental behaviour: : Can behavioural insights from psychology and behavioural economics be utilized to increase the recycling of food waste in Hökarängen, Sweden?

Abstract

Human behaviour need to change in order to avoid potentially catastrophic global environmental changes, thus promoting pro-environmental behaviour amongst individuals is one of today’s greatest challenges. This thesis presents a methodological approach for developing and designing implementations to promote pro-environmental behaviour, using behaviour insights from psychology and behavioural economics, mainly by combining theories from nudging and social marketing. The method was tested on a case study in Hökarängen, - a suburb of Stockholm (Sweden) and was used to design an information hand-out aimed at encouraging the pro-environmental behaviour of recycling food waste. The effect of the implementation was then tested through a natural field experiment and evaluated using a difference-in-difference analysis. The results indicate a significant increase in food waste collected and a significant decrease in unsorted household waste compared to a control group in the research area. This study provides a promising methodological approach for fostering behaviour change: and contributes to advancing the scientific fields of green-nudges and social marketing to nurture pro-environmental behaviour. Insights from this study could be used to guide development of policy tools to help Stockholm and Sweden reach environmental policy goals