… are interventions, big or small, that aim to influence behaviour to make people act more sustainable.
Explore over 80 global Green Nudges. 
Updated weekly, Tuesdays at 9am CET.
A free, user-friendly tool for small accommodation owners, offering step-by-step certification and actionable steps towards more sustainable practices.
How small financial nudges and reminders help flexible travellers reduce car use and embrace greener commuting habits in the San Francisco Bay Area.
A lighthearted intervention using the ‘affect heuristic’ to evoke empathy for furry city-dwellers, successfully reduced gum litter in busy areas.
Making solar tangible: How Google Maps’ tool transforms solar benefits into clear monetary savings for homeowners.
Remote workers save money with time-of-use fees and smart meter incentives, while shifting energy to off-peak times and reducing grid strain.
Leveraging 40+ psychological mechanisms to encourage eco-friendly choices in online fashion shopping, reducing returns as well as environmental impact.
Behaviorally informed communication via posters and WhatsApp drives women’s involvement in natural resource management.
Recycle Your Electricals launches a behaviourally informed UK-based campaign for International E-Waste Day 2024, aiming to recycle 1 million cables.
Learnings from Australia: Why the word ‘tree’ is the last thing you should mention if you want someone to plant trees on their private property.
eCommerce giant lets users choose between fast or consolidated delivery, using cognitive dissonance to nudge eco-friendlier decisions.
How Porsche, a brand known for its combustion-driven heritage, used nudging to encourage employees to choose electric vehicles for their next company car.
Encouraging vegetable consumption by emphasising their desirability, rather than health benefits, can significantly reduce food-related CO2 emissions.
Inspired by food labels, university students in Argentina prototyped Eco-conscious Tags to highlight the environmental impact of fast fashion.
A social media challenge encouraging Bogotá’s citizens to adopt new shower habits in response to the city’s water crisis.
Pilot study in Dutch supermarkets shows positioning meat alternatives next to conventional meat significantly shifts consumer choices.
British pop-rock band promotes returning and reusing plastic LED wristbands on tour through social norms and reminders.
Leveraging the concept of maximising sensory pleasure from smaller portion sizes to promote healthier eating habits.
Timely and individualised text messages, encouraged active and greener travel decisions to and from work.
Nudging passengers with visual cues can reduce rail congestion and thus make public transport more attractive.
Bike interventions successfully increased cycling by providing family engagement packs and motivational prompts for women.
Tailored info about battery charge increases EV drivers‘ uptake of smart charging; easing grid stress & promoting green energy use.
The OzHarvest Use it Up Tape™ helps reduce food waste by reminding households to use up leftovers found in their fridges and pantries.
Precision-targeting with causal machine learning maximises effectiveness of nudging and prevents backfiring.
Simply asking, “Do you consider animal welfare important?” before making food choices can motivate animal-loving meat-eaters to choose vegetarian options.
A UK university uses donation bags to encourage students to give homeware to charity rather than chucking it away.
Danish supermarket pioneers climate-friendly shopping with ‚Climate Journey‘ Lab, resulting in a 14% CO2 reduction within 6 months.
Standardising plant-based menus at catering events shifts behaviour and reduces negative environmental impact.
“One-off” intervention from the UK: Help people change boiler settings to save money and reduce carbon emissions.
The „Cool Choices“ card game rewards eco-friendly actions with points based on CO2 savings and difficulty, fostering long-term behaviour change
A German energy provider successfully convinces people to switch their energy supplier for the first time by leveraging Hamburg’s most iconic landmarks.
Clever Dutch intervention leverages the familiar scent of lemon, renowned for its association with cleanliness, to reduce waste near underground containers.
Cambridge study shows that changing menus to include 50% plant-based dishes, gently nudges consumers to opt for less meat.
Wildlife safety: Safeguarding wildlife through strategic delineation whilst promoting responsible driving behaviour.
Colour changing shower head lights nudge Disney Hotel guests to use less water, whilst showing real-time usage.
Dirty talking trash cans in Malmö, Sweden are an effort to highlight environmentalism while also having a bit of a laugh.
Providing shoppers with product-specific and dynamic energy efficiency information – via a simple score, drives significantly cleaner choices.
Australian toilet paper brand “Who Gives A Crap” effectively guides consumer behaviour away from mass-produced goods towards sustainable alternatives.
An automated powering down of staff computers, at a set time after hours, is encouraging organisations to save money and energy.
UK Study: Eye images enhance attention to written instructions, promoting proper waste disposal
Smart home assistants nudge homeowners to optimise energy use via proactive conversations, information and feedback
Nudging hospital staff to prioritise hand-hygiene compliance: antibacterial gel or hand washing over over-use of gloves; using visual priming
A savvy waste-saving restaurant table standard, increases the likelihood of uneaten food to be taken home, by way of foodie bags
Pressing for Change in Dutch city of Amsterdam: Transforming cyclists‘ behaviour through public social norms can increase road safety for all
Changing the wheels of behaviour: BluSmart cabs leverage behavioural science to reinforce eco-friendly commutes
Various public messaging nudges “water-wise” behaviour during severe drought in Cape Town, South Africa
The innovative “Nudge+” approach encourages people to think before being “nudged,” making nudging more legitimate, ethical and effective
Experimental study reveals the most effective ways to encourage island-going tourists to contribute to ecological preservation
Dutch study: Rational education vs. Humour. Rational can fall short in altering behaviour. Humour emerges as a potent force for change
“Default” and “information-structure” nudges help consumers to choose more sustainable delivery methods while online shopping
Dutch nudge: Personalised stickers for water kettles ensures individuals boil just the right amount of water needed for their cup size
French Savoie’s witty nudge signs humorously engages visitors, effectively discourages swimming and preserves a fragile ecosystem
The „self-administered raffle“ gamifies commute in Singapore, encourages non-rush hour travel and mitigates environmental impact
US study finds: Labelling meals “vegetarian” or “vegan” on restaurant menus might actually make people less likely to choose them
Google Maps automatically looks for fuel efficient routes to lower car-related emissions (so you don’t have to)
Dive into Sustainable Tourism: When snorkelling, positive and negative framing can reduce the number of underwater incidents with marine life
Dordrecht’s “Green Nudge” initiative cuts illegal dumping of bulk waste near underground containers by 85% and reshapes waste consciousness
According to a Chinese study: The use of behavioural interventions can yield a significant and long-term impact on reducing single-use plastic cutlery
Motivating New Zealand landlords to insulate properties with tailor-made behavioural messaging via digital campaigns
To promote sustainable tourism, the island of Palau has a new visa mandate: all tourists must sign a pledge in their passports to preserve nature
Classic study from 2008 demonstrated that placing a card with social norms in the guest’s room triggers towel reuse
Reckitt Benckiser’s dishwasher tablet brand debunks pre-rinsing myths with the “Finish 24-Hour Challenge“
An interactive online tool designed to encourage waste prevention and recycling on Irish university campuses
Unilever’s Lifebuoy employed roti stamps to reinforce hand washing before eating meals in India
Pilot at Dutch University: nudge when flushing a dual-flush toilet to prevent excessive toilet water consumption
Colombian changemakers predict a six-day extension in the life of fruits and vegetables through the implementation of stickers with serving meal suggestions
An US study that tested first-person communication on biscuit packaging demonstrated better recycling behaviour
Energy displays for tenants act as constant reminders, offering immediate feedback and insight into their energy usage behaviour
Dutch field experiment: Online supermarkets can deliver timely nudges that encourage people to make healthier and more sustainable food choices
The quiz-like bins effectively engage people with buzzing questions, preventing cigarette butts from causing harm to wildlife and aquatic ecosystems
Using a simple prompt, a Beirut restaurant successfully reduced the use of plastic cutlery among customers placing food orders
Making the vegetarian option more appealing to the mainstream by reframing it from a functional choice to an enjoyable one.
We have biassed perceptions of paper used in packaging. A “minimal packaging” sticker on a recyclable plastic-only option changes that.
The Canadian municipality implemented see-through bin bags which helped reduce the city’s overall solid waste as well as increase recycling rates.
German „Deutsche See“ reduces fish refrigeration unit energy waste by 20% with smiley-face feedback system
As part of the „Clean India Campaign,“ India is fighting the problem of open defecation. At the 2019 festival, they tackled this issue using behavioural nudges
Singapore designer Tommy Cheong tackles recycling contamination by creating bins that activate your conscious “System 2”
New research highlights how sound can nudge us towards more sustainable food choices and promote planet-friendly eating habits
This Dutch reciprocity intervention offers a simple trade-off: easy meal ordering and delivery in exchange for a cleaner park.
An experiment at a hotel buffet showed that reducing plate size and providing social cues can reduce food waste by approximately 20%
Danish approach: heat-sensitive paint on radiators signals when to turn off, potentially reducing heating consumption in public buildings
Norwegian online supermarket, Oda, promotes sustainable shopping with a climate receipt displaying CO2 emissions alongside product prices.
A Dutch study finds a sticker on a kettle is an effective nudge to promote the use of hot water instead of vinegar as a “green” herbicide.
An Austrian field experiment identified the most effective interventions to reduce littering in common waste disposal areas, testing four different methods.
An innovative campaign makes the future consequences of climate change tangible by showcasing its impact on one of France’s most famous cultural icons.
Adding human-like features – such as eyes – in conservation campaigns can enhance intentional pro-environmental behaviours.
Adding carbon labels next to food items on restaurant menus can decrease “high climate impact” meat orders.
The City of Christchurch introduced a public reward and shaming scheme motivating citizens to better sort their garbage.
An experimental study in the Netherlands showed that social imitation inlays in shopping trolleys can promote vegetable purchases.
Many people don’t actually know how much water and energy they use during their often daily shower. A field experiment in 6 Swiss hotels showed that smart shower meters with real-time feedback can reduce energy and water consumption.
Customers at one of the largest cafeterias in Munich ordered food from a menu that gave them additional information on the sustainability of their choices. When faced with the negative cost, the individuals daily CO2 budget, and the amount of CO2 emission that each food option presented, buying behaviour changed. Customers bought less CO2 intensive choices, like less meat and fish, resulting in almost 10% less CO2 emission.
Every year we waste tons of food because the expiry date on the packaging says so. Mimica wants to change that with a temperature-sensitive, dynamic expiry label that provides accurate, real-time feedback of the product’s freshness.
When our peers take actions to live more sustainable, we’re more likely to follow suit. Our social imitation was nudged by Utility companies by comparing our own energy consumption with that of our neighbours.
Most often, people don’t care much about abstract, future consequences. To create awareness for what may come, some benches in Copenhagen have been elevated to match a realistic sea-level rise in the year 2100.
Burger King makes the plant-based option the new normal. People who want the meat version deliberately have to opt-out.
With the climate crisis, humanity faces one of the biggest challenges of all time. We simply cannot afford to keep going as we have over the last several decades. We need to change – but change in itself is hard.
If you ask people whether they support sustainable behaviour or “green(er)” choices as a means to save our planet, and thus keep it inhabitable for future generations – a majority would certainly say yes.
However, as anthropologist Margaret Mead pointed out years ago: “What people say, what people do and and what people say they do are entirely different things.” People may support the good cause, but still like their daily meat, their big combustion SUVs and their long hot showers – these (immediate) pleasures take priority over being more “green”. This is known as the “attitude-behavior-gap” or “intention-action-gap”.
The Green Nudges that we will showcase are meant to trigger real action: sometimes immediate and sometimes at a later stage when people are faced with a decision and still have that nudge in mind. Not all of them have data available to back up the effectiveness. But we understand them as inspiration for institutions, decision makers or individuals for a greater good. For real action.
The idea of nudging is not new and there are already quite a few nudges surfacing. But we have the feeling that the majority of them are hidden inside theoretical abstracts and scientific publications.
Our objective with our Green Nudges series is to make these examples more accessible to a general audience and most certainly much easier to understand.
Editor-in-chief
20 years ago, when Matthias first read Bill Buford’s book „Among the thugs“ – an impressive piece of social research about football hooligans and the power of the crowd – he was instantly hooked by the psychological phenomenons that make people tick. Ever since, he wanted to understand how people make decisions and what drives their behaviour. For many years, he tried to use this knowledge to influence purchase decisions, while working for many different companies as a marketing strategist. But increasingly, he’s interested in using that experience to influence people to make more sustainable choices.
Editor
Kassandra is a Creative Consultant, Biodesigner and Speculative Artist. With her expertise in nature-inspired social and sustainable design, she mentors start-ups and SMEs to transform their design products, services and systems. Not only does her guidance help companies generate circular designs, she also empowers them to push the boundaries of their storytelling resonance: encouraging interconnected and synergetic behaviors between people and their respective ecosystems. In her studio practice, she realizes playful and immersive experiences – ushering society towards proactive, inclusive and regenerative futures.
Illustrator
Johannes is a visual storyteller with work ranging from illustrations to design and art. His particular forté is in depicting visions of desirable futures and the roadmaps to how we could get there. As a communication designer, Johannes supports brands and stories on a mission to create a thriving planet. That’s why his core topics are sustainable and social impact, future design, and science communication. With his Green Nudges illustrations, Johannes skillfully disseminates the essence of often very theoretical behavioral insights; into accessible visual interpretations, approachable for a wide range of audiences.
You know another Green Nudge that the world needs to know about?
Feel free to send it to: hello@green-nudges.com
