The future could be greener: a randomized choice experiment on cognitive alternatives and sustainable food choices

Carbon footprint information via labels has raised interest as a tool to encourage pro-environmental behavior. We propose cognitive alternatives to the environmental status quo (Environmental cognitive alternatives; ECAs), the ability to imagine what a sustainable relationship with nature could look like, to improve the effectiveness of carbon labels. Using a discrete choice experiment with intervention and control groups, we investigate the effect of ECAs on low emission labeled, sustainable choices in a grocery shopping context. German participants (N = 150) were randomly assigned to three groups, activating either cognitive alternatives of a positive relationship with nature, or perceived environmental threat (PET), or nothing in a full control group. In the ECAs activation group, participants chose options with lower carbon emissions compared to the other two groups, and had stronger preferences on rating scales for these options. In the PET activation group, participants also had stronger preferences on rating scales than the control group, but this effect was not found for the choice of options. Activating ECAs might be a promising intervention for promoting sustainable choices, and carbon labeling could be helpful when paired with interventions that activate ECAs.