Planet Plate

Our Nudge “Planet Plate” is designed to promote more sustainable dining choices in community catering facilities.

C02 emissions are calculated for each dish. The dish with the lowest greenhouse gas emissions of the day is marked with a special label and is intended to serve as an additional criterion for visitors when choosing a meal. Deliberately, only the most advantageous dish will be labeled in order to avoid the “tendency towards the middle” effect.

By providing low-threshold information, we want to raise awareness for more environmentally friendly options, because every bite can actively contribute to climate protection.

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What does the topic mean?

Around 20% of our personal greenhouse gas emissions are attributable to food. This is because the production of food releases methane, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide. Indirectly, this can come from the transformation of the landscape, such as cutting and burning down rainforests or draining peatlands. Direct emissions are caused by livestock farming and the cultivation of crops. In addition, packaging, transportation and disposal of food pollute the environment.

While plastic packaging is much debated in society, there is often little awareness of climate-friendly diets. The goal is to also shift the focus to the actual food we eat every day.

Goal of the nudge

Our goal is to draw attention to the issue of sustainable food and inspire consumers to make conscious eating choices. In the short term, we hope that more and more people will choose the dish with the lowest greenhouse gas impact once they are provided with information on this. In the long term, we hope to create a general awareness of C02 emissions from food so that people include this information as a criterion in their everyday consumption decisions.

    Needs analysis

    • Ignorance of the environmental impact of food
      Many people are already aware that diet accounts for a large portion of their personal greenhouse gas emissions. We want to make the rest aware of this.
    • Ignorance sustainable food choices
      Many people want to choose their food based on sustainability criteria, but are ignorant of what that actually means; for example, avoiding unnecessary packaging is seen by many as the most important measure.
    • Environmental impact not a criterion for consumption decisions
      In decision-making behavior, other factors such as health, price, or taste play a more important role than sustainability.

    Cause analysis

    • Availbility Heuristic

      If we are unaware of how food production and consumption contribute to climate change, we may unknowingly make choices that increase our carbon footprint.

    • Status Quo Bias

      When we have become accustomed to a particular diet, we can be reluctant to change it. Even when there are better options that could reduce our carbon footprint.

    • Hyperbolic Discounting

      For example, if we know that changing our diet could help reduce our carbon footprint, but the process seems difficult and time-consuming, we may choose to ignore it in order to turn to immediate rewards, such as a climate donation.

Target Group

Our target group includes consumers in communal catering facilities, such as university or corporate dining halls or canteens.

Added value of the nudge

  • Selecting dishes with the lowest greenhouse gas emissions

    The label can be a trigger for choosing the most sustainable dish of the day. In this way, sustainability can be strengthened as a low-threshold decision criterion.

  • Conversation starter

    Impulse to steer the conversation at mealtime towards sustainable nutrition, as the social environment can have a strong influence on an individual’s eating habits.

  • Information incentive

    Nudge can highlight own ignorance. The Nudge thus acts as a mediator of information and can also motivate people to educate themselves further.

CONTACT US

Vanessa Brecht

vanessa.brecht@stud.hshl.de

Jette Roggow

malika.jette.roggow@stud.hshl.de

Laura Bals

laura.bals@stud.hshl.de