2021/01/13 by Thomas Asikis, Johannes Klinglmayr, Dirk Helbing +1 · 1 citation
Business, Management and Accounting · Psychology · Social Sciences · #Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification #Behavioral Health and Interventions #Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation
paper · pdf · doi:10.1098/rsos.201418
openalex publication_date 2021/01/13 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
In a so-called overpopulated world, sustainable consumption is of existential importance. However, the expanding spectrum of product choices and their production complexity challenge consumers to make informed and value-sensitive decisions. Recent approaches based on (personalized) psychological manipulation are often intransparent, potentially privacy-invasive and inconsistent with (informational) self-determination. By contrast, responsible consumption based on informed choices currently requires reasoning to an extent that tends to overwhelm human cognitive capacity. As a result, a collective shift towards sustainable consumption remains a grand challenge. Here, we demonstrate a novel personal shopping assistant implemented as a smart phone app that supports a value-sensitive design and leverages sustainability awareness, using experts' knowledge and 'wisdom of the crowd' for transparent product information and explainable product ratings. Real-world field experiments in two supermarkets confirm higher sustainability awareness and a bottom-up behavioural shift towards more sustainable consumption. These results encourage novel business models for retailers and producers, ethically aligned with consumer preferences and with higher sustainability.