Information Instruments and Sustainable Consumption: - The SCP ...

FACULTEIT GENEESKUNDE EN FARMACIE
Vakgroep Menselijke Ecologie
Information Instruments and Sustainable Consumption:
A Qualitative Analysis of Awareness Raising Campaigns
Thesis presented to obtain the degree of Master in Human Ecology
María Fernanda Arias and Ólöf G. Söebech
Academic year 2007-2008
Promoter: Prof. Dr. Harri Kalimo
Co-promoter: Prof. Dr. Nadia Johanisova

Arias & Söebech 1
Abstract
Consumption practises in ‘Western Countries’ are in no way sustainable. The way
people consume should be looked at from a broad perspective and methods
developed further to lead people to more sustainable lifestyles. Several policies and
instruments are used to foster changes in sustainable consumption and production
(SCP) at the different levels of governance. Awareness raising campaigns as an
information instrument is one of the main approaches used that focuses on
influencing consumer behaviour.
There is a vast experience on these types of campaigns, they can be implemented
relatively quickly, and there is room for flexibility, a wide array of players and
creativity. On the other hand, awareness campaigns are mostly used to target, and
often reach, only a small part of the population. A limiting factor of awareness raising
campaigns is that they only work if people respond, and therefore, campaigns must
follow an approach that will persuade and inspire people to act.
In order explore on and strengthen these initiatives, an analysis was conducted as
well as best practices highlighted with the aim of identifying comprehensive
strategies to tackle the barriers to sustainable consumption (SC). The political
environment of SCP and key players in promoting SC are described. Consumer
behaviour is analysed, and case studies and success factors for campaigns are
identified. In this research, 12 main success factors for awareness raising campaigns
were identified. These were explored in a pilot campaign promoting sustainable food
consumption called Think!, conducted in Leuven-Belgium From 31 May-8 June. The
aim of the campaign was to increase perceived consumer effectiveness PCE, to
increase perceived availability and to raise involvement. The main strategies of the
campaign to reach these goals, were the development of an incentive based thinkcard,
and an informative website.
Encouraging people to think about the environmental and social impacts of their
behaviour, making them reflect upon the difference they can make through their
consumption patterns and giving them an incentive to make the first steps towards a
sustainable consumption are important and necessary approaches to further
people’s commitment and actions towards more sustainable lifestyles. However,
information and awareness raising efforts cannot be considered sufficient as a standalone
instrument for addressing the problems of consumption. In order to reach a
critical mass of people, a collective effort is needed to make more radical changes in
consumption behaviour.

Arias & Söebech 2
Acknowledgements
This whole research and thesis was made with the help of a large group of people,
old friends and family as well as new friends made on the way through this fantastic
learning experience.
Firstly, our promoters Prof. Harri Kalimo and Prof. Nadia Johanisova deserve great
thanks for supporting our project and providing guidance in the write up of the paper.
For the think! campaign, there is a long list of people that were involved in making it
all possible. Without our partners, we would not have had a campaign. We thank
them for believing in our project, participating in the campaign, giving us an insight
into their lives and work, ideas for our project, for donating the gifts, and collecting
the coupons. Our Think partners are: Tom Troonbeekx –Organic farmer, Moniek
Broekx- Organic farmer, Eric Swinnen and the Biotoop, Jean Pierre Smets and Jippe
– Organic farmers, David Dessers and Oxfam Kessel-Lo, Frederik Dossche and
Micheline De Dapper and Origin’o, Werner Dieltjens – Organic farmer, Wim and
Wout Versteden and De Veeakker, Geert Groffen and the Coop-Wereldcafe, Kojje
and De Karwij, Peter Van Vinckenroye and Magda Peeters – Organic farmers, Jan
Martens – Organic farmer, Oxfam Leuven, Johan Kerkhof and Oxfam Heverlee, Dirk
De Wilde and Oxfam Wilsele, Oxfam Herent and Oxfam Wijgmal.
We thank also the people who helped us make all the material for the Think!
campaign. Thank you Vigdís Torfadottir and Ingvar Þorbjörnsson for programming
our thinkfood.be, Sergej Culumarevic for making our logo, Philippe Severyns and
Valdimar Jóhannsson for the think! movie, Isabelle L'enfant for the t-shirts, Sandrine
Lambert and Ana Grace Avilés for making designs for the website. They all not, only
helped create the material for the campaign, they also showed us so much support
for our project and were always read to help.
Our friends who came through and joined by volunteering in the campaign week full
of positive energy and good spirit. Thank you Thijs Maes, Anca Gheorghica, Vala
Rúnarsdóttir, Katja Biedenkopf, Cliff Zinyemba, Stephen Kankam, Denis Ndeloh,
Marisol Iraizos and Gemechu Shale Ogato
Finally, for being there, involved in the whole process from the birth of the idea to this
date, we thank Peter Willems and Ethan Goode for their endless support.

Arias & Söebech 3
Table of Contents
Abstract______________________________________________________________ 1
Acknowledgements ____________________________________________________ 2
Abbreviations and acronyms ____________________________________________ 4
List of Tables _________________________________________________________ 6
List of Boxes__________________________________________________________ 6
List of figures _________________________________________________________ 6
1 Introduction __________________________________________________ 7
1.1 Background ______________________________________________________ 7
1.2 Aims and Working hypothesis of the research_________________________ 11
1.3 Human ecology approach__________________________________________ 12
1.4 Methods ________________________________________________________ 13
1.4.1 Literature review ______________________________________________________14
1.4.2 Expert interviews______________________________________________________15
1.4.3 The Think! pilot campaign ______________________________________________17
2 Sustainable Consumption Framework ___________________________ 19
2.1 The International framework for Sustainable Consumption _____________ 19
2.1.1 The United Nations ____________________________________________________19
2.1.2 Other International bodies _______________________________________________23
2.2 The European framework for Sustainable Consumption ________________ 24
2.2.1 Related Policies _______________________________________________________25
2.2.2 The new SCP action plan________________________________________________27
2.3 National Frameworks _____________________________________________ 28
2.4 The key non-governmental actors and roles___________________________ 30
2.4.1 NGOs_______________________________________________________________31
2.4.2 Business/Retailers _____________________________________________________34
2.4.3 The consumer ________________________________________________________37
3 Behaviour ___________________________________________________ 41
3.1 The challenge of consumers’ behaviour change________________________ 41
3.2 Behaviour models ________________________________________________ 42
3.3 Factors for behavioural change _____________________________________ 44
3.4 Segmentation of population ________________________________________ 47
4 Awareness raising campaigns as information instruments __________ 50
4.1 The Information _________________________________________________ 53
4.2 Understanding the consumer _______________________________________ 54
4.3 Case Studies_____________________________________________________ 55
4.3.1 The Big Clean up______________________________________________________55
4.3.2 The Big Ask__________________________________________________________58
4.3.3 We’re in this together __________________________________________________62
4.3.4 That’s the Way to do it. Sustainably _______________________________________65
4.3.5 Clean Clothes Campaign ________________________________________________67
4.3.6 One tonne less ________________________________________________________71
4.3.7 Act on CO2 __________________________________________________________73
4.3.8 Drop your own________________________________________________________76

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4.4 Findings and factors of Success _____________________________________ 78
4.5 Full table of identified criteria ______________________________________ 85
5 The Think! Campaign _________________________________________ 90
5.1 The Think! campaign’s segmentation ________________________________ 92
5.1.1 Retired people aged 50-75 years __________________________________________93
5.1.2 New parents __________________________________________________________93
5.1.3 University students ____________________________________________________93
5.2 The concept, goals strategies and indicators___________________________ 94
5.3 Strategies to increase perceived consumer effectiveness (PCE) ___________ 96
5.3.1 The thinkcard and the gift _______________________________________________96
5.4 Strategies to increase perceived availability ___________________________ 97
5.4.1 Partners _____________________________________________________________97
5.4.1.1 Shops_____________________________________________________________99
5.4.1.2 Farmers __________________________________________________________100
5.4.1.3 Markets __________________________________________________________102
5.5 Strategies for raising involvement __________________________________ 102
5.5.1 Website ____________________________________________________________102
5.5.1.1 Sustainable food in general___________________________________________103
5.5.1.2 Information on the Campaign _________________________________________104
5.5.1.3 Sustainable food in Leuven___________________________________________104
5.5.1.4 Children’s section __________________________________________________105
5.5.1.5 Contacts and links__________________________________________________105
5.5.2 Campaign in different places ____________________________________________106
5.6 Publicity and Communication _____________________________________ 108
5.6.1 The sustainable community outreach _____________________________________108
5.6.2 Mass media and general public __________________________________________109
5.7 Cost___________________________________________________________ 109
5.8 Assessment and results ___________________________________________ 111
5.8.1 Increasing PCE ______________________________________________________111
5.8.2 Increasing Perceived availability_________________________________________112
5.8.3 Raising involvement __________________________________________________119
5.8.3.1 Website __________________________________________________________119
5.8.3.2 Campaigning events ________________________________________________122
5.9 Barriers – setbacks ______________________________________________ 123
5.10 Campaign conclusions & recommendations__________________________ 124
6 Discussion and recommendations _____________________________ 132
References _________________________________________________________ 137
Abbreviations and acronyms
BCU: Big Cleanup Campaign
BEUC: European Consumers' Organisation
CCC: The Clean Clothes Campaign
CSR: Corporate Social Responsibility
Defra: The UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
EC: European Commission
EEB: European Environmental Bureau
EMAS: Eco-Management and Audit Scheme

Arias & Söebech 5
ETAP: Environmental technology Action Plan
EU: European Union
EuP: Energy using Products
FoE: Friends of Earth
FLO: Fairtrade Labelling Organisation
GPP: Green Public Procurement
IPP: Integrated Product Policy
MSC: Marine Stewardship Council
NSDS: National Sustainable Development Strategies
PCE: Perceived Consumer Effectiveness
UN: United Nations
UN DESA: UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs
UNEP: United Nations Environmental Programme
UNEP, DTIE: UNEP Division of Technology, Industry and Economics
UNEP DSD: UNEP Division of Sustainable Development
UNESCO: UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural organisation
UNGA: UN General Assembly
SC: Sustainable Consumption
SCP: Sustainable Consumption and Production
SD: Sustainable Development
WSSD: World Summit on Sustainable Development
WTO: World Trade Organisation
VUB: Free University of Brussels (Vrije Universiteit Brussel)
WWF: World Wildlife Fund

Arias & Söebech 6
List of Tables
Table 1. A Causal Model of Environmentally Relevant Behaviour ____________________ 44
Table 2. An overview of success factors identified in 9 case studies __________________ 85
Table 3. Identified criteria as success factors for awareness raising campaigns _________ 86
Table 4. Major goals, strategies and actions of the Think! campaign __________________ 95
Table 5. Preliminary budget ________________________________________________ 110
Table 6. Final cost________________________________________________________ 110
Table 7. The number of coupons collected from each partner ______________________ 114
Table 8. The colours of coupons used on different days___________________________ 114
Table 9. Number of coupons used based on colour and date_______________________ 115
Table 10. The possible usage of coupons compared to days distributed ______________ 116
Table 11. Number of coupons versus number of cards used _______________________ 118
List of Boxes
Box 1. Examples of government campaigns _____________________________________ 52
Box 2. Examples of collaborative campaigns ____________________________________ 52
Box 3. Key success factors for campaigns ______________________________________ 78
Box 4. Success factors based on the Think! campaign____________________________ 131
List of figures
Figure 1. Belief in individual power to protect the environment ________________________ 8
Figure 2. Willingness to purchase sustainably ____________________________________ 9
Figure 3. Gap between intention and action.______________________________________ 9
Figure 4. Segmentation of the population according to specific life events______________ 94
Figure 5. A pie chart showing the distribution of collected coupons
relative to days distributed___________________________________________ 116
Figure 6.Visits to www.thinkfood.be __________________________________________ 120
Figure 7. Visits from different countries________________________________________ 120
Figure 8. A clip from the Think! movie_________________________________________ 121

Arias & Söebech 7
1 Introduction
1.1 Background
The debate on sustainable consumption and production (SCP) is based on the
realisation that improvements in the eco-efficiency 1 of processes and products
undertaken in many countries are not substantial enough to provide the same level of
material prosperity to all humans or to reduce environmental impact to the levels
within the earth’s self-regenerative capacity. 2 A number of consumption-oriented
environmental studies suggest that technological solutions directed at improving
resource productivity are not sufficiently successful in curbing the environmental
effects of consumption. 3 Western economies are currently responsible for over two
thirds of global environmental impacts. 4 There is clearly a need for changes, not only
in production methods, but also in consumption patterns as well as a need for an
overall reduction of the levels of material consumption. Social implications of
consumption practices must also be understood, and improvements made where
they are found to be harmful. Sustainable consumption (SC) is gaining currency as
an environmental policy objective, requiring widespread changes in behaviour at all
levels of society. 5
Consumption and provisioning are complex concepts, and based on intricate
relationships. Governments, producers, markets, consumers, civil society
organisations and citizens are interdependent. Moreover, factors such as technology
developments, lifestyles, societal changes (e.g. smaller families, urban sprawl,
increased travels, processed, pre-packaged meals), values, habits, interests,
financial settings and relations, as well as the structure of society are all linked to
consumption. SC instruments must take into account the dominant ‘free’ market
economy, and ‘free’ consumer choice, as well as systemic interdependencies in
order to bear fruit. 6 These instruments must also take into consideration the forces
that promote unsustainable consumption such as social pressures, advertisement,
‘race to the bottom’ tendencies and sometimes lack of availability or access to
sustainable products and services.
1 Is the definition of environmental impact per unit of production value based on life cycle
analysis, or environmental cost-effectiveness – environmental improvement per unit of cost.
2 Mont and Plepys 2008.
3 Mont and Plepys 2008.
4 Sustainable Consumption and Production: A Framework For Action 2008.
5 Seyfang 2006b.
6 Sustainable Consumption and Production: A Framework For Action 2008.

Arias & Söebech 8
Several policies and instruments are used to foster changes in SCP. The current
trend in the development of SCP policies is on focusing on sustainable production. 7
Instruments include eco-design, product taxes, cleaner production and life cycle
impact assessments. 8 With constantly increasing levels of production and
consumption, there is a clear need for a new generation of more focused instruments
addressing consumption. Instruments that will lead to more sustainable lifestyles.
Many countries, as well as regional and global actors such as the EU and the UN,
have developed action plans, policies and strategies, the most recent being the
European Commission’s Action Plan on Sustainable Consumption and Production,
published in July 2008. NGO’s also play a major part in addressing governments,
producers, retailers and consumers. Additionally, businesses are growing players in
the field.
Awareness raising campaigns as an information instrument are a part of several
policy tools that are used to influence consumer behaviour. Governments, NGOs and
other actors such as business, engage in these types of campaigns, and increasingly
in collaboration with each other, acknowledging the complex interdependency of
players. As awareness raising campaigns are voluntary instruments that depend on
the end consumer to take action, it is important to understand consumers and to look
at common motivators and barriers to sustainable action. 9
According to a Eurobarometer report conducted on “Attitudes of European citizens
towards the environment” in 2008, the majority of Europeans, or 86% believe that as
an individual, he or she can play a role in protecting the environment.
Figure 1. Belief in individual power to protect the environment
As an individual, you can play a role in protecting the environment in
(our country)
43% 43% 8%
Totally agree
Tend to agree
Tend to disagree
Source: Eurobarometer, 2008
7 Mont and Dalhammar 2005.
8 UNEP/Wuppertal Institute CSCP 2006.
9 National Consumer Council and Sustainable Development Commission 2006.

Arias & Söebech 9
The willingness of Europeans to purchase sustainably, despite higher price of
product, is also high or 75% of the population questioned in the study responded
positively.
Figure 2. Willingness to purchase sustainably
Please tell me whether you totally agree, tend to agree, tend to disagree or totally disagree
with the following statement: You are ready to buy environmental friendly products even if
they cost a little bit more (%EU27)
DK
6%
Totally disagree
5%
DK
Tend to agree
50%
Tend to disagree
14%
Totally agree
25%
Totally disagree
Tend to disagree
Totally agree
Tend to agree
Source: Eurobarometer, 2008
However, only 15% of the population studied actually admit to buying more
environmentally friendly products, while the largest part (59%) claims willing, but
does not act upon his or her willingness. 10
Figure 3. Gap between intention and action.
PURCHASING ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCTS
Willingness
+ action
Willingness
+ no action
No willingness
+ no action
% of total sample 15% 59% 18%
Source: Eurobarometer, 2008
By identifying the different motivators and barriers of the various groups of people,
there is room for change and many people are willing to do more than they are
currently doing. However, they have less understanding of what they can actually do,
10 Special Eurobarometer 295 2008.

Arias & Söebech 10
and what changes will make a difference. Consumers expect to receive help in
making sustainable choices through government choice editing and industry
regulations, but also through information and personal guidance.
Behaviour studies as well as market research is essential for developing a successful
awareness raising instrument or campaign, as these voluntary approaches depend
on the reaction and participation of consumers. Research initiatives can pull together
evidence on public understanding, attitudes and behaviours, identify behaviour goals,
and draw conclusions on the potential for change across a range of behaviour
groups. 11
By providing information and raising awareness, the importance of consuming more
sustainably is stressed and consumers are given appropriate skills and
competencies to act. Awareness raising campaigns are continuously developing and
they continue to aim for higher effectiveness. In the past, these were mainly broad
campaigns, promoting environmentally friendly purchases. 12 These campaigns were
not considered effective in bringing about changes in lifestyles or consumption
patterns. Today, campaigns also attempt to put information in an interactive context,
and to combine information with other enabling conditions to encourage consumer
action. 13 These campaigns are developed strategically, based on research, planning,
targeting, they use a mix of tools and are sometimes conducted over a longer period
of time. They are often based on customer oriented social marketing techniques, and
use the concepts and tools of commercial marketing and advertising companies. This
new approach to campaigns is more focused around a single issue, often providing
practical solutions and using the multi-media to get a message across. 14
It is clear that in order to bring about more sustainable consumption practices,
voluntary instruments such as awareness raising campaigns play an important role in
influencing the lifestyle changes needed. There exists a vast experience on these
types of campaigns, they can be implemented faster, than for example regulations,
and there is room for flexibility, a wide array of actors and creativity. On the other
hand, awareness campaigns are mostly used to target, and often reach, only a part
of the population; the part that is already aware and motivated. Additionally, there is
11 DEFRA 2008.
12 OECD 2008.
13 OECD 2002.
14 OECD 2008.

Arias & Söebech 11
a perceived overflow of information and a large number of campaigns on different
topics are being conducted at the same time. A campaign can thus add to
consumers’ confusion and instead of mobilising them, may paralyse instead. Finally,
a limiting factor of awareness raising campaigns is that they only work if people
respond, and therefore, the campaigns must follow an approach that will tempt and
inspire people to act.
There is a need for more comprehensive understanding of the potential and
limitations of such initiatives and actions. In order to build on and strengthen these
initiatives, an analysis was conducted as well as best practices highlighted with the
aim of identifying comprehensive strategies to tackle the barriers. The following
sections look at the political environment of SCP, explain key players in promoting
SC, identify consumer behaviour and describe case studies and success factors for
awareness raising campaigns. Thereafter, based on the totality of the research
conducted, a pilot campaign called Think! is described and analysed. Finally, based
on the research, conclusions and recommendations are drawn up.
1.2 Aims and Working hypothesis of the research
Considering that information instruments, specifically awareness raising websites
and campaigns, have the potential to reach far in creating a change in consumer
behaviour, an analysis under the following research question was conducted:
How can awareness raising campaigns tackle the barriers that consumers face in
changing consumption patterns?
Therefore, the overall aim of this research is:
To identify key success factors that maximise the impacts of awareness raising
campaigns, through an overview of existing innovative approaches and best
practice, and to implement them in a pilot awareness campaign
This aim is attained through the following specific objectives:
• To get an overview of the political environment around sustainable
consumption, with a focus on information and awareness raising campaigns.
• To identify and describe the key players in promoting sustainable
consumption practices.
• To identify consumer behaviour and research approaches that will most likely
influence lifestyle changes.

Arias & Söebech 12
• To gather information on existing campaigns, and identify cases of best
practice.
• To identify barriers of awareness raising campaigns.
• To conduct a pilot awareness raising campaign informed by the research
above.
• To critically assess the role of awareness raising campaigns for sustainable
consumption.
As a working hypothesis, this research proposes that information instruments such
as awareness raising campaigns play an important role and, if conducted properly,
can have an impact on consumer behaviour. However, they are not sufficient as
standalone instruments for sustainable consumption strategies as they will only
reach limited goals that depend on the willingness of the consumer and the market to
act. Only a part of the population can be influenced by campaigns. Additionally,
short-term campaigns reap limited results.
1.3 Human ecology approach
By looking at ways to influence consumer behaviour, with focus on information
instruments, more specifically awareness raising campaigns, a broad spectrum was
addressed. To study what the different actors and approaches are, in the field of
consumption, analysing the different targets and emphasis, a holistic approach was
needed. Awareness raising campaigns vary, some target governments and policies,
others look at addressing the end consumer, whereas others target businesses or
specific products. In order to achieve a good overview, the paper looks at the political
landscape, social behavioural aspects and consumer behaviour, and looks at the
viewpoints of NGOs, governments and the individual consumer. Analysing the
different types of approaches, with the aim of finding out what works, required
drawing information from the various fields.
Moreover, conducting a pilot campaign, the Think! Campaign on sustainable food,
required an overview of conventional and organic agricultural practices, trade issues,
and acquiring an understanding of the field of sustainable food. For implementing the
pilot campaign, management skills, budget organisation, communication, and ability
to work with various key players was required.

Arias & Söebech 13
1.4 Methods
The research focused on awareness raising campaigns as an instrument for
influencing sustainable consumption and behaviour change. The research focused
mainly on OECD countries, where consumption behaviour poses the largest
environmental and social impact. Europe received more attention, with Belgium
being the country of focus, particularly with the Think! pilot campaign conducted in
Leuven.
The methods employed included literature review and analysis of relevant
documents, semi-structured interviews with people with experience in awareness
raising campaigns, and implementation of a pilot awareness campaign. The research
was conducted in three main phases:
1. Literature research
a. Political environment
b. Consumer behaviour research
c. Exploring online campaigns
d. Literature on campaigns, manuals and case studies
2. Expert interviews
a. Guy Capals, UCOS
b. Marc Bontemps, Ethibel and Oxfam
c. Jaklien Broekx, Clean Clothes Campaign Belgium
d. David Heller, Friends of Earth (FoE)
3. Think! pilot campaign
a. Development of concept
b. Gathering partners
c. Development of material
d. Implementation of the campaigning events
e. Assessment

Arias & Söebech 14
1.4.1 Literature review
The literature review was conducted throughout the research period. The focus was
on OECD countries, and more specifically on the European environment. The
material researched can be grouped roughly into four sections. The literature
research was conducted in order to get a good overview of the status of awareness
raising campaigns as information instruments for enhancing sustainable
consumption. Additionally the aim was to identify key factors for successful
implementation of campaigns and to review best practices. The results of the
literature review were also used in order to identify and describe the case studies in
chapter 4. The literature read was limited to English and Dutch documents.
Political environment
In order to explain the political environment regarding sustainable consumption, and
specific policies and actions, the main focus for review were relevant reports and
other documents from UNEP, OECD, the European Commission and Belgian reports
and studies. The results of the analysis are described in chapter 2.
Consumer Behaviour research
As responsiveness of the consumer is a crucial factor for the success of awareness
campaigns, a substantive literature research was conducted, viewing the various
theories and evidence base on the main barriers to people’s sustainable
consumption behaviour, and ways to overcome the value action gap. The findings
are written in chapter 3
Exploring online campaigns
In order to have an overview of existing campaigns that are to be found online, and
to prepare for the pilot campaign’s website, a number of websites were screened.
Based on literature research and on the viewing of these websites, 12 key criteria for
well-developed websites were identified. A list of the websites viewed, and the 12
criteria identified can be found in Annex 1. Four websites were analysed based on
the 12 criteria and are also listed in the Annex 1. This part of the research served as
preparation for the Think! Campaign and the www.thinkfood.be website. A part of the
results is listed in chapter 4.
Literature on campaigns, manuals and case studies
The final aspects looked at through literature research for this thesis were articles,
manuals, reports and examples of good campaigns. Literature from UNEP, OECD,

Arias & Söebech 15
EC as well as independent articles were read along with NGO publications. The
Results of this part are found throughout the thesis, but particularly in chapter 4.
1.4.2 Expert interviews
In order to get more in-depth information on the practice of awareness raising
campaigns, four experts from NGOs who have been extensively involved in various
types of campaigning activities were interviewed. The interviewees ranged from
activists of large scale NGOs that have conducted international campaigns, to locally
based small-scale campaigners. Additionally, the people interviewed had experience
from various types of campaigns, targeting consumers, companies and governments.
The interviews were conducted face to face, and were semi-structured. A list of
questions was prepared and used as a guideline for the interviews. The interviewees
were given an opportunity to expand on matters that he or she deemed important.
The main aim was to search for their idea of success factors as well as barriers to
conducting an awareness campaign. Thus, the information gathered varied
substantially from one interview to the other. Each interview lasted between 1-2
hours. A list of the interview questions, as well as transcripts of the interviews can be
found in Annex 2. The outcomes of the interviews were highly useful for the whole
research and provided added value, especially as a preparation for the Think!
campaign, for identifying case studies and in general for chapter 4.
Guy Capals
Guy Capals works for UCOS, an NGO linked with the Free University of Brussels
(VUB), with its premises on the university’s main campus. The main focus of UCOS
is to provide education and information on Sustainable development and
development co-operation, directed mainly at the University’s students and staff.
With their education activities and other actions, the aim of the organisation is to
promote attitude and behaviour change. 15 Their activities are roughly grouped into
three categories 1 - arranging open lectures and conferences, 2 – conducting
projects on sustainable lifestyles with students living on the campus, and 3-
conducting various events on campus, such as a sustainable world fair and
sustainable restaurant days. UCOS also collaborates with other NGO’s, and other
university organisations. 16 UCOS has therefore a clear target group: university
students and staff, particularly those of the VUB. The organisation works throughout
15 UCOS-a.
16 UCOS-b.

Arias & Söebech 16
the year on raising awareness and providing information. The projects are all of
relatively small scale, working with the target group.
Marc Bontemps
Marc Bontemps is currently the director of Ethibel, an advisory and research
organisation for ethical investment funds in Brussels. Additionally, he is involved in
the development of a project fund and information website on CO2 and CO2
prevention or compensation called compenCO2. 17 Before joining Ethibel, Mr.
Bontemps was the director of Oxfam Wereldwinkels, and a board member of the
Fairtrade Labelling Organisation (FLO) where he was involved in certification and
standard setting. Throughout his career, Mr. Bontemps has been involved with a
number of campaigns, and was thus able to provide invaluable information on the
subject.
Jaklien Broekx
Jaklien Broekx has been working for years for “Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC)” or
“Schone Kleren Campagne” in Belgium. The CCC is an international network of
NGOs and Trade unions whose aim is to improve working conditions in the global
garment and sportswear industry. The CCC also works with other organisations to
simultaneously push all those responsible for improving workplace conditions to
actively work to solve problems. 18 The “Schone Kleren Campagne” has been
pursued in Belgium since 1996 with many success stories in its trajectory, and
Jaklien Broekx has been involved in some of the most successful ones.
David Heller
David Heller works as a press and communications person for Friends of Earth (FoE)
Flanders and Brussels. He has been involved in several of FoE campaigns, including
the ongoing campaign for CO2 emission reduction campaign called the Big Ask. The
Big Ask campaign calls for governments to commit to binding annual targets for
cutting emissions. It is therefore mainly targeted towards governments, not individual
behaviour. People are asked to participate by signing a petition, and encouraged to
write letters to local governments.
17 CompenCO2! Compenseer CO2!.
18 Schone Kleren Campagne.

Arias & Söebech 17
1.4.3 The Think! pilot campaign
The information gathered through the literature review, screening, interviews and
case study analysis, provided the theoretical basis of the thesis and was the
evidence base used for conducting the Think! pilot campaign. The phases of the pilot
campaign can be grouped into roughly five parts: the development of the concept
and approach, gathering partners, development of material, implementation of the
campaigning events and assessment. The purpose of the Think! campaign was to
test the information found through the research, addressing barriers and making the
most use of success factors. The campaign serves as an example for further
development and implementation at a larger scale. The Think! campaign is described
in detail in chapter 5. Annexes 4, 5, 6 and 7 also refer to the Think! campaign.
Development of the concept
By looking at the information gathered in phase 1 and 2, the concept was developed
based on several factors. Choosing a relevant topic, sustainable food became the
subject of the campaign. The location, Leuven, was carefully chosen, based on
accessibility, language and target group. During this phase, substantial information
was gathered, on the population of Leuven and on the subject of sustainable food
consumption and production. Additionally, objectives, the approach, activities and
assessment methods were developed. The campaign continued to develop, deepen
and grow throughout the whole period, from conception of the thesis idea to the last
day of the campaign.
Gathering partners
In order to be able to implement a campaign on sustainable food, partners were
needed. There was no success in joining a NGO for the project due mainly to limited
time. 17 partners were gathered consisting of 5 farmers, 1 farmer selling her own
produce at the local markets and 11 shops. These became the campaign’s Think!
partners.
Development of material
The largest task of material development was the making of a website. From the
middle of March until the end of May, www.thinkfood.be was created with all the
information on sustainable food, on the campaign and on other related material. 1000
flyers, 27 t-shirts and 50 posters were made and used during the campaign week.
1000 thinkcards were created, each accompanying a list of the Think! partners and 8
coupons. These cards were given to people during the campaign and they could be

Arias & Söebech 18
used at any one of the Think! partners’ shops/farms. The coupons could be
exchanged for a small gift. The website material and printed material can be found in
Annex 6.
Implementation of the campaigning events
From 31 May until 8 June, the campaign events took place. With volunteers, the
campaign was held in various locations in Leuven. The events ranged from
participating in a renowned world festival to setting up small stands in the street.
People were given a thinkcard, flyer and personal communication took place. Several
methods were used to attract people’s attention.
Assessment
As developed in the concept stage, several indicators were used to assess the
campaign’s success. The 1000 thinkcards distributed during the campaign with the 8
coupons each, served as a main indicator. People could for a period of two weeks
visit any one of the Think! partners, and when making a purchase, they could give
one of their coupon in return for a small gift. The partners collected the coupons and
these were counted at the end of the validity period. Other indicators include the
number of visits to www.thinkfood.be, communication with partners, and personal
experiences of the planning and implementation phase.

Arias & Söebech 19
2 Sustainable Consumption Framework
2.1 The International framework for Sustainable
Consumption
2.1.1 The United Nations
The United Nations (UN) and other global bodies play an important role in setting
guidelines for global action, as consumption issues are transboundary in the sense
that many products and services are traded from one country to another and the
negative environmental impact is spread, often inequitably, across countries.
Additionally, national economies are dependent on trade. Therefore, an institution
such as the UN, plays an important role in searching for common opportunities to
enhance SC practices, and sets the lines for independent states, which then have
the responsibility for implementation at the national level. The UN General Assembly
(UNGA) revised and included sustainable consumption aspects in the UN guidelines
on Consumer Protection in 1999. The sections include conducting sustainable
consumption research, promoting recycling and sustainable government practices,
encouraging life cycle thinking and eco-products, and developing standards for
regulating and verifying environmental claims. 19 According to article 56 of section G –
Promotion of Sustainable consumption “Governments are encouraged to create or
strengthen effective regulatory mechanisms for the protection of consumers,
including aspects of sustainable consumption.” 20
The UN’s environmentally related summits have played an important role in
developing the scope of action regarding SC matters. At the World Summit on
Sustainable Development (WSSD) in 2002, governments were called upon to
change unsustainable patterns of consumption and production (art. 14, cpt. 3). 21 All
countries, with developed countries taking the lead, committed to promote SCP
practices, and to put forward the development of a 10-year framework of
programmes on sustainable consumption and production, in support of national and
regional initiatives. 22 This initiative is the largest contribution of the UN to the subject
of SCP. The programme is coordinated by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
19 OECD 2008.
20 United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs 2003.
21 United Nations 2002.
22 European Commission 2004.

Arias & Söebech 20
and the UN Department for Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA). As a follow up
of WSSD the 10 year framework of programmes on SCP patterns was developed
under the name of the Marrakech Process, launched at the first international meeting
in Marrakech in 2003. Within the process, regular global and regional meetings are
held, expert task forces have been formed and other activities are under
development. These actions focus on promoting progress, linking together issues of
the developing and the developed countries, and on developing solutions at global,
regional and national levels. 23
The Marrakech Process is conducted in four phases:
- Organising regional consultations in all regions to promote awareness and
identify priorities and needs for SCP
- Building regional strategies and implementation mechanisms with regional
and national ownership
- Implementing concrete projects and programmes on the regional, national
and local levels
- Monitoring and evaluating progress, as well as exchanging information and
experience at the international level
The main activities currently undertaken are:
- Expert meetings and roundtables held at the international, regional and
national levels
- Development of SCP frameworks, strategies and action plans at the
international, regional and national levels
- 7 “Marrakech Task Forces” led by governments, each with a focus on a
specific SCP issue
- “Cooperation Dialogue” that engages development agencies into SCP
activities
At the 2010-2011 cycle of the Commission on Sustainable Development, the
proposition for the 10 Year Framework of Programmes will be presented and
reviewed. 24 The next meeting arranged under the Marrakech Process Asia-Pacific
Roundtable on SCP: ‘Sustainable Consumption and Climate Change: Engaging the
Market’ will be held in the Philippines in September 2008 where the focus is on
market solutions.
One of the goals of the Marrakech Process, especially relating to this research, and
to awareness raising instruments, is “to encourage consumers to adopt more
23 See further on Marrakech Process at:
http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/sdissues/consumption/Marrakech/conprod10Y.htm
24 UNEP/Wuppertal Institute CSCP 2006.

Arias & Söebech 21
sustainable lifestyles.” 25 Sweden is leading the international task force on
Sustainable Lifestyles and education. Research on how various actors, including
governments and business, can enable behaviour and lifestyle changes, and on how
consumers can be encouraged to choose sustainably is the main focus of this task
force. 26
Analysing further the specific activities of the UN regarding information, awareness
raising and communication for SCP, several divisions of the organisation are
involved in projects. The main departments include UNEP, UNEPDTIE, UN DESA-
DSD and UNESCO. 27 There is certainly overlap of these institutions and
collaboration. For example, the main SCP outreach activity of UNESCO is a
collaboration with UNEP. This is the youthXchange Training Kit on Sustainable
Consumption: Towards Sustainable Lifestyles. The kit, targeted towards trainers,
provides statistics, case studies, games, examples of real companies that are
becoming more sustainable, and direction on how explain sustainable lifestyles to a
young audience, with the aim to promote sustainable consumption patterns among
young consumers worldwide. 28
UNEPDTIE and UN DESA have conducted several projects on the topic of promoting
SCP, communication and awareness. These mainly consist of research projects,
collection of best practices, development of indicators, manuals and guides that are
published freely on their website. The UNEP DTIE – SCP branch 29 is involved mainly
in Sustainable production activities, but there are some consumption initiatives
included in their work. Measures taken include studying and analysing trends,
providing information exchange, capacity building, the development of sound
environmental and social management system procedures, establishing and
maintaining international expert networks, and developing tools, methodologies and
policy support for adoption of resource efficient and sustainable production patterns
and which create or expand markets for sustainable products.
Publications relating to SC and information, awareness and communication include:
25 UN. The Marrakech Process.
26 UN. The Marrakech Process.
27 UN Environment Programme, UNEP – Division of Technology, Industry and Economics, UN
Department of Economic and Social Affairs – Division of Sustainable Development and UN
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
28 See further on youthXcange at: http://portal.unesco.org/education/en/ev.php-
URL_ID=31166&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html.
29 UNEP DTIE, SCP Branch-a.

Arias & Söebech 22
- UN DESA- ‘Instruments for chance’ – An internet resource database with
examples of innovative policy instruments for changing SCP patterns
- UN DESA-DVD – ‘Promoting Sustainable Production and Consumption: Five
Policy Studies’ – a study on 5 different cases. 30
- UNEP-DTIE – ‘Creative Gallery on Sustainability Communications’ – An
internet site where over 40.000 advertisements of sustainability related
campaigns were viewed and selected to be posted. These ads feature
companies’ commitments, public authorities initiatives, and NGO activities
using different strategies. 31
- UNEP - ‘Resource Kit on Sustainable Consumption and Production’ – This
publication is a compilation of fact sheets of 12 different topics, including
advertising and Lifestyles. Each fact sheet, describes the different problems,
gives background information and provides examples of good practices as
well as providing solutions for the different actors in society. 32
- UNEP-DTIE – ‘Sustainability Communications: A Toolkit for Marketing and
Advertising Courses’ – A CD-ROM that demonstrates and analyses the
business case and the marketing and communications potential of
sustainable development. It brings to light the role marketing and
communication professionals hold, and it provides tools, guidelines and
examples of good practices to build effective strategies and campaigns. 33
- UNEP/Futerra- ‘Communicating Sustainability: How to produce effective
public campaigns’ – A guide designed for local and national government
authorities, and everyone else who wants to develop and implement public
awareness campaigns on promoting sustainable lifestyles. 34
- UNEP – ‘Talk the Walk: Advancing Sustainable Lifestyles through Marketing
and Communication’ – A publication that provides information on key factors
for successful marketing strategies and communication campaigns in the field
of SC. The report analyses different marketing strategies, and provides
information based on relevant market and consumer attitude research. 35
- UNEP – ‘Planning for Change: Guidelines for National Programmes on
Sustainable Consumption and Production’ – These guidelines include
30 UN DESA DSD.
31 UNEP DTIE, SCP Branch-b.
32 UNEP 2005b.
33 UNEP 2006b.
34 UNEP 2005a.
35 UNEP, UN Global Compact, and Utopies 2005.

Arias & Söebech 23
information on awareness raising campaigns as well as information and
education campaigns developed for governmental use. 36
The list above is not finite, but gives a clear indication of the type of work the UN is
conducting relating to sustainable consumption issues and to awareness raising
initiatives.
The UN has the key role of collecting relevant data and presenting it to governments
as well as the public. By highlighting best practices and successful stories, individual
nations and different organisations can have a benchmark to compare with and seek
to approach, as well as guidelines to improve their own policies. Via the Marrakech
Process, actual implementation of projects, and methods for tackling directly SCP
patterns are being developed. Another important factor is that the attention being
given to SCP matters at the UN level, makes the topic more visible for the general
public.
2.1.2 Other International bodies
Looking at other international bodies, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) has a
potentially larger role than currently applied for strengthening trade of sustainable
products and services. The WTO is an organization for liberalising trade, 37 and at its
heart are the WTO agreements, negotiated and signed by the bulk of the world’s
trading nations and ratified in their parliaments. 38 However, pressures for trade
liberalisation are affecting the sustainability characteristics of some products. For
instance, the opening of markets for certain products such as genetically modified
food due to WTO regulations or the prohibition of process standards by the WTO,
impact the sustainability characteristics of food products supplied in the market. 39
Trade and environmental issues have been increasingly part of debates in the WTO
and there has been considerable debate regarding, for instance, the trade impacts of
eco-labelling schemes. 40 In theory one of the main risks presented by private
voluntary eco-labelling programmes is that they may act as a kind of non-tariff barrier
for trade favouring particular process and production technologies. 41 This constrains
the use of eco-labels by interpreting them as barriers for trade. Therefore, the WTO,
36 UNEP 2008.
37 WTO-a.
38 WTO-b.
39 Fuchs and Lorek 2002.
40 Tallontire and Blowfield 2000.
41 Vitalis 2002.

Arias & Söebech 24
whose rules prevent governments favouring fairly traded or “green” imports, is
currently propagating unsustainable consumption. 42
It is of great necessity that this organisation takes concrete measures to encourage
countries to make reforms in the field of government subsidies for environmentally
sensitive industries, and to provide conditions supporting the infiltration of ‘green’
products in the market. 43
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has a
strongly market-liberal perspective in which governments are expected to correct
prices and provide regulatory frameworks to influence producers to be more ecoefficient
and to offer consumer choices of “green” products. 44 The OECD has been
active in conducting research and publications on the status of the OECD countries
relating to SCP in addition to national annual reports. Based on research of the
OECD website 45 the most recent publication directly related to SCP is dated April
2008, measuring sustainable production. It provides information on state-of-the-art in
measuring sustainable production processes in industry. It includes metrics
developed by business, trade unions, academics, NGOs, and the OECD and IEA.
These measurement approaches cover the "triple bottom line" (economic,
environmental and social dimensions) of industrial sustainability. Perhaps more
relevant is the 2002 publication: ‘Towards Sustainable Household Consumption:
Trends and Policies in the OECD Countries’. And the ‘Promoting Sustainable
Consumption Good Practices in OECD Countries’ (2008).
However, the OECD’s perspective of “green growth” and “market transformation” has
failed to consider other possibilities of lifestyles founded upon values other than
material consumption. 46
2.2 The European framework for Sustainable
Consumption
The European Union (EU), having legislative power over its Member States and
having a large global influence, is in an even stronger position to influence
consumption practices than The UN. The EU has both to translate the demands of
42 Seyfang 2005; Tallontire and Blowfield 2000.
43 Worldwatch Institute.
44 Seyfang 2005.
45 OECD.
46 Seyfang 2005.

Arias & Söebech 25
the member states into European policy, and to develop its own strategies that the
Member states will have to adopt. The European Commission (EC) has been
working on an Action Plan on SCP, originally scheduled to be released in December
2007. 47 Due to complications and difficulties in reaching agreements, the action plan
had several delays. The Action plan was published on 16 July 2008. 48
2.2.1 Related Policies
The EU is implementing several SCP policies that, to a varying degree, are
regulative, recommendations or guidelines for Member States. In 2004, the EC
published a document titled ‘Sustainable Consumption and Production in the
European Union’. This document gives an overview of the existing policies
developed at the EU level. The main policies, activities and instruments identified
include the following:
- Eco-design of Energy Using Product Directive (EuP)
- Integrated Product Policy (IPP) (focusing on life cycle analysis and
approaches)
- Thematic Strategy on Sustainable Use of Natural Resources
- Thematic Strategy on Waste Prevention and Recycling
- Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS)
- Eco-label Scheme
- Environmental technology Action Plan (ETAP)
- Public Procurement Policies
- Consumer Policies
- European Compliance Assistance Programme - Environment & SMEs 49
Much of the emphasis on SCP at a European level, as well as internationally, is on
the production side of SCP. For example, the 2005 EuP directive sets mandatory
minimum standards on several energy using products, such as computers,
refrigerators, office equipment and hairdryers. 50 In this way the products that end up
on the European market already meet these standards, and in that way, indirectly
affect consumers’ purchasing options. The same applies for the IPP, which looks at
identifying the environmental impact of a product throughout its lifecycle.
47 Euractiv 2008a.
48 ENDS Europe DAILY 2008.
49 European Commission 2004; European Commission.
50 Euractiv 2008a.

Arias & Söebech 26
Looking at the consumption side of SCP, The Commission uses tools such as
• Information tools, raising awareness of the consumer, via web information,
environmental labelling and self-regulation (companies publishing information
on their environmental performance).
• Economic instruments, via environmental taxes, state aid for environmental
purposes, and trade policies.
• Management plans, voluntary agreements with industry (rather production
related), promotion of Green Public Procurement (GPP), Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) and other ‘soft’ measures, requiring member states to
develop them further, or the producer him/herself. 51
Hence the EU, with its programmes and policies, influences member states to react
and acts as a ‘role model’ for non-EU countries. To reach the goals of its SCP
policies, it is important for the institutions of the EU to adopt their own policies (e.g.
public procurement and waste management), lead by example and make the policies
flexible for implementation by member states, yet in some way obligatory. The EU’s
SCP policy framework has been criticised for being too fragmented and incoherent
and in lacking the needed stringent regulations. 52 According to the Commission’s
recent Communication (COM(2000) 397/3,
“Overall, voluntary and regulatory instruments are not sufficiently
connected and potential synergies between the different instruments
are not exploited. Implementation is not sufficiently dynamic and
forward-looking to drive the performance of products upwards.
Divergent national and regional approaches send conflicting signals to
producers, and as a result the full potential of the Internal Market is not
tapped.”
Additionally, the Commission explains that the instruments are only being used to a
limited degree. For example, the environmental impact of energy-using products
currently covered by the EuP Directive only account for 31-36% of the environmental
impact of products. Additionally, it covers only a limited number of products. 53 In
response to increased pressure, to reach its own SCP goals, the European Union is
in the process of adapting a more coherent new Action plan.
51 List of instruments based on European Commission 2004.
52 Euractiv 2008a.
53 Commission Sustainable Consumption and Production and Sustainable Industrial Policy
Action Plan communication.

Arias & Söebech 27
2.2.2 The new SCP action plan
On 16 July of this year, the EC published the long awaited for SCP Action Plan. The
main substance of new Action plan includes broadening the extent of the EuP to set
minimum requirements to products that are related to energy, meaning products that
use high amounts of energy in the production phase or water using products (e.g.
water taps and shower heads). Additionally, covering more products under the
ecolabel scheme, setting mandatory GPP standards and improving the structure of
EMAS are foreseen. 54
With the new action plan the EC aims to:
“to create a virtuous circle: improving the overall environmental
performance of products throughout their life-cycle, promoting and
stimulating the demand of better products and production
technologies and helping consumers to make better choices through
a more coherent and simplified labelling.” 55
In short, the list of actions includes:
• Ecodesign requirements for more products, with minimum requirements as
well as voluntary benchmarking
• Reinforced and extended energy and environmental labelling
• Incentives and public procurement for highly performing products
• Green public procurement practices, promotion and harmonization efforts, as
well as some minimum requirements
• Consistent product data and methodologies
• Work with retailers and consumers, establish a Retail Forum and promote
voluntary actions
• Supporting resource efficiency, eco-innovation and enhancing the
environmental potential of industry and leaner production
• Promoting sustainable production and consumption internationally 56
The action plan also mentions that ‘a range of actions’ will be undertaken to increase
‘smarter consumption’. Under this category, working with retailers, supply chains and
raising consumer awareness, increasing their proactive role, is listed. However, no
concrete measures are proposed. Additionally it is noted that:
54 ENDS Europe DAILY 2008.
55 Commission Sustainable Consumption and Production and Sustainable Industrial Policy
Action Plan communication.
56 Commission Sustainable Consumption and Production and Sustainable Industrial Policy
Action Plan communication.

Arias & Söebech 28
“The EU consumer policy can provide the market tools to empower citizens,
as consumers, to make sustainable environmental choices. The Commission
will therefore also support actions to increase consumers’ awareness and
help them to make more informed choices. This will be done, for example, by
developing tools to inform young people and increase their awareness and
on-line education modules for adults on sustainable consumption.”
At the time of writing, the Action plan has only recently been published. Thus,
activities, implementation and effectiveness are yet to be realised. The EC expects
the proposal to be adopted by March 2009. 57 Environmental and consumer
organisations such as the European Consumers' Organisation (BEUC), the
European Environmental Bureau (EEB) and the Friends of the Earth (FoE) Europe
have released statements criticising the proposals for lacking ambition, only
reinforcing existing mechanisms, placing over emphasis on only energy usage and
relying too much on voluntary initiatives by industry. Industry and SMEs have
additionally released statements stating scepticism of the plan. 58
When looking at the international and European framework for SCP, tackling
consumer behaviour and the problems of over-consumption is minimal. Institutional
changes or changes of the economically dominant ‘free’ market system remain
unchallenged. There is a noticeable lack of strategies that challenge the assumptions
of economic systems based on material growth and strategies that could conceive of
ways for shifting from material-intensive consumer culture to a society with less
materialistic aspirations. 59 This lack of strategies can be ascribed to interests of
different stakeholders that lobby against addressing certain topics within the policy
field, specially the notion of “consumption levels” and “sufficiency”. More consensual
agreements exist about the necessity to address “consuming differently” or “greening
the markets”. 60
2.3 National Frameworks
Governments, within the EU, must of course follow the EC directives and regulations
and are advised to follow its recommendations. More importantly, it is most often the
responsibility of Member States to adopt, apply and implement these policies. 61 They
57 Euractiv 2008b.
58 Euractiv 2008b.
59 Mont and Plepys 2008.
60 Mont and Dalhammar 2005.
61 European Commission 2004.

Arias & Söebech 29
also have the possibility to take further action as long as it does not go against EU
regulations.
There is a great variation of the environmental and consumption policy profile
between the different countries. Looking at the OECD countries, where the highest
level of consumption occurs, most of them have developed a national Sustainable
Development strategy. In 2006, 23 out of 30 have prepared a formal strategy or plan.
Australia, Finland, France, Japan, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Sweden,
Switzerland and the UK were the first countries to do so. 62
In Europe, only a few countries have specific SCP strategies. These include Austria,
Czech Republic, Finland, France, Norway, Poland, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
Out of these, only Sweden and the UK, have a dedicated SC programme or action
plan. 63 The focus of these two countries is slightly different. Sweden’s “Think Twice”
plan, SC programme and four year action plan, covers household consumption and
actions for teaching consumers how to behave sustainably. 64 In the UK, an evidence
base and behaviour study units are dedicated to analysing consumer behaviour and
roadmaps for promoting SC. 65
For the other European countries, SCP is often allocated space in the National
Sustainable Development Strategies (NSDS), or given a place in other action plans.
The Member States do promote SCP in various ways, and sometimes under the
heading of other policies, such as energy and market policies. 66
Nonetheless, the level of implementation by countries varies greatly and also the
level of priority SCP is given compared to other issues.
In Belgium, the federal government published this spring a draft of a Federal Plan for
Sustainable Development 2009-2012. Within the SD plan, SCP is incorporated and
listed as one of the 7 priority areas. Under the SCP priority area, 3 focus points are
determined:
• Advertising, marketing and sustainable development
• Wood consumption
• Sustainable biofuels 67
The plan has not been adopted yet, but implies that SCP is a growing focus point at
62 OECD 2006.
63 OECD 2008.
64 Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Consumer Affairs Sweden 2005.
65 Defra-c.
66 European Environment Agency 2007.
67 Programmatorische Federale Overheidsdienst Duurzame Ontwikkeling 2008.

Arias & Söebech 30
the Belgian Federal level, as it appears to be worldwide.
As with the EU, it is important that governments take a lead in SC strategies, develop
a policy mix that works for their particular environment and act as a good example
themselves. As SC policies are often demand-based policies, they may have a
tendency to be ‘softer’ and more centred on consumer behaviour. For example in the
UK, research shows that a part of the population is more likely to adopt a more
sustainable consumption behaviour, as long as the government is seen taking action
and highlighting the issue. 68
Regional and local public bodies are likely to have a closer relationship with the
people living in the specific area. They are in a key position to organise local
initiatives, conduct locally based research and work with the industry, NGOs and the
people of the area.
2.4 The key non-governmental actors and roles
Governments, businesses, consumers and NGOs can be identified as the main
players in addressing the issues of sustainable consumption. NGOs and intergovernmental
organisations seem to be the most active actors and most of their
campaigns deal with changing consumer behaviour or raising awareness.
Unfortunately, NGOs lack the power of international governmental organisations and
business actors to have a wide outreach and also they have varying and vested
interests. 69 Regarding inter-governmental organisations, they often lack initiatives
and support in reaching tangible results. One of the most profound problems is the
prevailing perception by many governments that reducing consumption levels
challenges the goals of economic growth, technological innovation and international
competitiveness. 70 Looking at the political environment of SC one can deduct that
information and awareness raising is a part of international, European and national
strategies. Apart from labelling and Green procurement, it is one of the few directly
consumption related factors in the SCP frameworks.
Acknowledged driving factors that shape consumption patterns are many. As
indicated by a OECD report on sustainable household consumption “ Promoting
68 DEFRA 2008.
69 Mont and Plepys 2008.
70 Mont and Plepys 2008.

Arias & Söebech 31
more sustainable consumption will require a multi-stakeholder approach, including
public policy, market innovation, NGO mobilisation of consumer groups, and
voluntary initiatives by consumers themselves.” 71 Therefore, in the following section,
the three non-governmental actors are looked at in more detail, and their position
and role in SC activities explained further.
2.4.1 NGOs
NGOs in general play an ever increasing role in society. In consumer-related
initiatives, NGOs participate in several ways. As literature review has revealed,
International, European and national policy making has a large focus on participatory
approaches and stakeholder involvement. NGOs are involved in the policy arena as
expert advisers, consultants, participant and partners. Additionally, by looking at the
websites of the various NGOs, such as Oxfam, Friends of Earth, Greenpeace, Sierra
Club, WWF and others, they are largely involved in advocacy for changes in policies
and for pressing forward sustainable consumption actions of governments. 72
The approach of NGOs is however much broader, and they have various instruments
and target areas. These includes:
• Conducting research and publishing information
• Development metrics, measurement standards and labelling
• Campaigning
o Providing information and raising awareness in different categories,
reaching out to governments, companies, organisations and
consumers
o
o
Challenging governments (e.g. the Big Ask Campaign)
Targeting a specific negative product/company/organisation via
naming and blaming (e.g. the CCC)
71 OECD 2002.
72 ‘We exist to expose environmental criminals, and to challenge government and
corporations when they fail to live up to their mandate to safeguard our environment and our
future’ (Greenpeace); ‘We do this {address global threats} by influencing how governments,
businesses and people think, learn and act in relation to the world around us, and by working
with local communities to improve their livelihoods and the environment upon which we all
depend’ (WWF UK); ‘We press decision-makers to change policies and practices that
reinforce poverty and injustice’ (Oxfam International).

Arias & Söebech 32
o Raising awareness of a specific issue – via campaigns and media
coverage (e.g. awareness on issues such as climate change, ozone
depletion and rainforest depletion)
o Influencing consumers towards specific positive products, services,
brands or lifestyle changes (e.g. We’re in this together, One ton less)
Although these are listed separately, the activities are often overlapping and merge,
as the purpose of a campaign may address more than one of the above-mentioned
focus. More traditionally, NGOs have targeted government decision-making and
regulations, but the scope has increased to address the market, targeting consumers
and corporations, campaigning in order to influence consumer preferences as well as
to move markets to a greener path. Market campaigns present critiques of existing
products, seek to reduce sales of these products, and then attempt to increase
consumers awareness and demand to build markets for improved products or
services. 73
NGOs are in a position to reach citizens and to translate abstract debated on
sustainable consumption into practical solutions and actions for people. In order to
reinforce and support individual action, they bring consumers together and can
increase people’s feeling of belonging to a community. 74
NGOs have been involved in developing and monitoring standards and
measurements. 75 For example, led by the Global Footprint Network, the Ecological
Footprint 76 has received global recognition, and assessments of countries’ ecological
footprints are conducted regularly. Another measure system includes the New
Economic Foundation’s Happy Planet index. 77 Additionally, with the realisation that
support mechanisms are needed in order to monitor compliance of companies and
organisations, and to limit regression and greenwashing, NGOs have actively
engaged in developing such mechanisms. When it comes to labelling, NGOs, acting
as an independent third party, develop or help develop standards and are the ones
issuing these labels. Examples include the Fair trade label of the Fair Trade Labelling
organization (FLO) and some organic labels. In this way, NGOs are building ‘brands’
and seals of approval, which could assist in the promotion of sustainable products
73 O’Rourke 2005.
74 OECD 2002.
75 Sustainable Consumption and Production: A Framework For Action 2008.
76 Global Footprint Network.
77 The Happy Planet Index.

Arias & Söebech 33
and services, since they could be considered more credible than individual company
labels. 78
As stated above, the campaigns of NGOs take various shapes and are aimed at
different target groups. Often, campaigns aimed at raising awareness and influencing
consumer behaviour are conducted in collaboration or with support of governments,
and increasingly in collaboration with business.
For example, in The Netherlands several NGO-government actions have taken
place. The Dutch government has since the 1970’s engaged in collaboration with
NGOs or delegating them fully the task with financial support. A number of
information and education campaigns have been conducted, in the beginning
focusing on moral appeals for changes in consumption behaviour, and later providing
practical, high quality and cost effective alternatives to consumers, such as energy
saving solutions. 79 Dutch NGOs have a strong status in the Netherlands and they
have achieved some success. In the case of setting a ban on chlorofluorocarbons
(CFCs) in spray cans, they succeeded by appealing to public opinion and negotiating
with government. Promotion of the use of eco-labels has also been well taken up,
and the government has posed stricter regulations on the use of pesticides in food
production. 80 According to an OECD study, Dutch NGO initiatives succeeded in
reducing household waste by an average of 57kg/year per household in the
Netherlands. 81
With their broad and increasing role, NGOs are a key participant for increasing
awareness and influencing higher level of SC. Research indicates that awareness
campaigns of governments have not been effective in promoting more sustainable
lifestyles. An NGO has the advantage of being considered more neutral than
governments. 82 People tend to be more sceptical of governments, as well as vary
that their actions will have tax implications in the future. 83 NGOs tend also have a
more flexible structure, and can therefore adapt sooner to new methods. Additionally,
NGOs have a long history and experience with communicating to the public and can
possibly take a more pro-active and creative position. Collaboration of NGOs, local or
national governments and the retail sector is currently considered a promising
78 O’Rourke 2005.
79 Martens and Spaargaren 2005.
80 Martens and Spaargaren 2005.
81 OECD 2002.
82 OECD 2008.
83 Heller 2008.

Arias & Söebech 34
approach. There are several examples of these, such as UK’s ‘We’re in this
together’ 84 and The Austrian sustainability Weeks. 85
There is room for more involvement of NGOs, providing that transparency and
credibility of the NGOs are secured. There is an immense array of grassroots
organisations engaging in awareness raising and stimulating behaviour change.
Small-scale projects include creative communities, development of local-based and
network-structured economies, 86 and non-market exchange mechanisms such as
community currencies. 87-88 Looking closer at these pilot projects, and applying them
at a larger scale could lead to significant contribution to national frameworks and
action plans on SCP.
2.4.2 Business/Retailers
Within industry, focus is understandably primarily on SP approaches in the form of
cleaner technology, energy efficiency, lower impact in use phase, less packaging,
end of life disposal, recycling etc. There is certainly an overlap between sustainable
production and sustainable consumption, as both are related to SD and with a higher
market penetration of cleaner productions, impacts of consumption are likely to be
reduced (providing the amount consumed and used remains unchanged or
decreases). Instruments directly directed to businesses include CSR policies, IPP the
EMAS and the sector is urged to run their own residences sustainably. Retailers are
in the transition zone between the producers and consumers, sometimes referred to
as one consumption Junction. The consumption junction is defined as all those
places where provider-logics meet the life world-logics of citizen-consumers as endusers
of new products and services. 89 Large retailers have the capacity to influence
production up the supply chain, and by promoting sustainable products on heir
shelves, can influence the consumer. 90 Eco-innovation and possibilities of changes in
their product range, place the business sector in a highly influential role for SCP.
Their drive for efficiency makes it automatically feasible for the sector to push
production and products towards higher resource efficiency. 91 Examples listed such
84 See section 4.3.3
85 See section 4.3.4
86 Sustainable Consumption and Production: A Framework For Action 2008.
87 “community currencies” is the generic term for a wealth of contemporary alternative
exchange systems, which exist alongside mainstream money
88 Seyfang 2006a; Seyfang 2006b.
89 Spaargaren 2006.
90 UNEP, 2006b.
91 Sustainable Consumption and Production: A Framework For Action 2008.

Arias & Söebech 35
as the Marine Stewardship council (MSC) 92 and Responsible Care 93 indicates that
businesses are capable and often do promote sustainability values in their supply
and downstream chains. On the other hand, businesses are in a highly competitive
and price driven market and their first priority is the bottom line. 94 Therefore,
businesses cannot be expected to carry all the weight of greening the markets.
Consumers need to react and at the same time, governments must give the right
incentives and internalise externalities of environmentally and socially harmful
products and services.
In the service field, the role of ‘multipliers’ and professionals should not be
underestimated. A specialised repairman, construction worker, architect and other
professionals can influence the consumer with their expert advice when providing
their services. This is especially relevant in the housing industry, insulation, heating
and electricity. This is relevant also for businesses and salespeople. Giving
employees a sufficient training to give information and guide the consumer, who can
easily be lost in the vast array of products, can be highly influential.
The UNEP has acknowledged the importance of working with the retail sector on
SCP issues. The Consumption and Production Branch of the United Nations
Environment Programme Division of Technology, Industry and Economics (UNEP
DTIE) has engaged in several projects relating to the retail industry and SCP. As
stated on the division’s website: ‘The retail sector plays a very important role - not
only as a major driver of global economy, but also as the most crucial link between
suppliers and consumers - in effecting this global shift.’ 95
The main opportunities identified by UNEP DTIE are:
• Ensuring that internal operations are sustainable (The retail sector can first
control and manage its own environmental and social impacts through
implementing environmental management systems for internal operations
and infrastructure).
• Influencing suppliers to produce more sustainably (Retailers can co-operate
with their suppliers and promote greening the supply chain and implementing
92 ‘The MSC is an independent, global, non-profit organisation whose role is to recognise, via
a certification programme, well-managed fisheries and to harness consumer preference for
seafood products bearing the MSC label of approval’ (The Marine Stewardship Council).
93 ‘Responsible Care® is the chemical industry’s global voluntary initiative under which
companies, through their national associations, work together to continuously improve their
health, safety and environmental performance, and to communicate with stakeholders
about their products and processes’ (Responsible Care).
94 Sustainable Consumption and Production: A Framework For Action 2008.
95 UNEP DTIE, SCP Branch-a.

Arias & Söebech 36
green purchasing encouraging suppliers to develop eco-friendly products).
• Influencing consumers to consume more sustainably (Retailers can
encourage consumers to purchase eco-friendly products as well as provide
advice on the use and disposal of the products and offer facilities and
services).
UNEP activities include publication of guidelines, and aiming to provide relevant
information and training the help the sector, research, and promotion. Additionally,
UNEP launched a project, with focus on the retail sector in Indonesia, Malaysia and
the Philippines that aims to ensure increasing compliance of the sector with
sustainability guidelines throughout the whole production and distribution process. 96
The UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), is working on a
pilot project, creating roadmaps of ten different product groups. With these
roadmaps, environmental impacts of a specific product groups are looked at
throughout its life cycle, in order to identify areas that can be improved. The ten
product groups are: Milk and associated roadmap, Fish and shellfish, Passenger
transport, Passenger cars, Buildings, TVs, Domestic lighting, Electric motors,
Window systems, WCs, Plasterboard and Clothing. 97 With this information,
government can design policies in order to green these product groups, and in this
way, also assist retailers in choice editing. Choice editing occurs, when retailers
(independently or through government standards), remove products and services
with high negative environmental impact and replace them with lower impact ones. In
these cases, the consumer will only have from low impact products or services to
choose from, with the help of the retailer. 98
The role, and potential influence of the retailer have been established, especially
seeing that most consumer decisions are taken at the retail interface. 99 However,
there are conflicting opinions on the issue. Some literature minimises the role of the
consumer, stating that consumers’ power is restricted, as they have to accept what
the dominating retailers put on their shelves. The only way to greening the market
would then be to target large retailers and producers who could see financial benefit
in new market opportunities.
96 UNEP DTIE, SCP Branch-a.
97 Defra-b.
98 UNEP 2008.
99 DTI Sector Sustainability Challenge and Defra 2006.

Arias & Söebech 37
“it must be recognized that the power relations between providers and
consumers in production-consumption-chains most of the time are very
uneven and in favor of providers, who dominate and set the scene in many
corners of the production-consumption systems (Flynn et al.)… Decisions
about the extraction and utilization of raw materials, the use of (green) energy
for production and transport or about the kinds of packaging materials
brought into play, most of the time rest in the hands of companies and big
retailers.” 100
On the other hand, the opposite view is that the cards are in the hands of the
consumers, and that retailers and suppliers only respond to demand, and at this
point, demand is too low for sustainable products. 101
Both points have some validity. In the consumer society of the Western countries,
needs are created by producers and retailers, and in the ‘free’ market economic
system, retailers are pressed to lower prices and increase sales.
The retail sector is very important to SCP and enhancing the potential and positive
impacts of making retailers greener should be emphasised. Retailers should be
helped to green their shops. Their potential benefits of reaching a new growing
market segment, gain competitive advantage, gain a guaranteed and loyal customer
base, avoiding future liability cases based on unsustainable or unsafe products and
enhancing their company image should be highlighted.
In order to realise the potential of retailers in SC practices, some major barriers need
to be overcome. These include lack of consumer demand for sustainable products
and services, lack of priority of retailers given to the subject, as other marketing
aspects are regarded more important, lack of interest of management team, unstable
reliability of supply of green products and lack of understanding and clear definition
of a sustainable product.
2.4.3 The consumer
Government, business and people are critical actors for driving the transformation to
a more sustainable society. No one, or even two of the mentioned groups, can lead
sustainable consumption alone. 102 People as citizens and consumers, play important
roles because they have the ultimate right to choose or determine which products
100 Spaargarden 2006.
101 DTI Sector Sustainability Challenge and Defra 2006.
102 National Consumer Council and the Sustainable Development Commission 2006.

Arias & Söebech 38
they want to purchase. However, far from being able to exercise free choice about
what to consume, people often find themselves “locked in” to consumption patterns
that are unsustainable and that occurs in part due to incentive structures, economic
constraints, institutional barriers, social and cultural norms. 103
The term “ecological citizen” has emerged in the last decades. The citizenship
approach to sustainability seeks to achieve deeper shifts in people’s attitudes
towards the environment. 104 People are exhorted to choose responsibly and
embrace the political participation opportunities offered with every shopping trip.
According to Seyfang (2005), ecological citizenship offers a practical, everyday
framework for understanding and expressing action that reflects a sense of justice
about environmental and social matters through collective efforts to change the
institutions which reproduce unsustainable consumption. Ecological citizenship may
be a powerful motivating force for sustainable consumption behaviour. 105
Sustainable consumption comprises a decision-making process that takes the
consumer’s social responsibility into account in addition to individual needs and
wants. 106 The vision of sustainable consumption also requires individual action in
changing consumption habits and adjusting lifestyles in line with the principles of
sustainable development. 107
A growing segment of consumers consciously buys ethical or sustainable products,
such as fair trade, animal friendly or locally produced food. 108 This trend has resulted
in the emergence of the ‘ethical consumer’, who perceives a direct link between what
is consumed and the social issue itself. 109
There is also abundant literature regarding the so called ‘ecologically conscious
consumer’ or ‘green consumer’, and many studies have tried to identify some of the
characteristics of this group such as socio- demographic variables, environmental
and social values, and psychological factors. 110 Regarding the socio-demographic
variables, age, sex, income and education have been associated to this group. Age
103 National Consumer Council and the Sustainable Development Commission 2006.
104 Melo-Escrihela 2008.
105 Seyfang 2005.
106 Mulenberg 2003.
107 Mont and Plepys 2008.
108 Crane 2001.
109 Shaw and Clarke 1999.
110 Gilg et al. 2005.

Arias & Söebech 39
has been widely explored and there are a number of theories supporting the belief
that younger 111 and older 112 individuals are likely to be more sensitive to
environmental issues. Gender has also been analysed, and some studies 113 indicate
that women are more likely than men to hold attitudes consistent with the green
movement. However, gender-based investigations are still far from conclusive. 114
Income has also been positively related to environmental sensitivity in many studies
and the most common justification for this belief is that individuals can, at higher
income levels, bear the marginal increase in costs associated with supporting green
causes or favouring green products. 115 Studies also suggest that well educated
people are more likely to engage in green consumption. 116 Regarding environmental
and social values, some studies mention ‘altruism’ and ‘openness to change’, 117 as
the most important ones. Regarding psychological factors many studies suggest that
a green consumer believes that their personal effort can contribute to the solution of
the problem, this belief is referred in literature to as Perceived Consumer
Effectiveness (PCE). 118
Evidence from approximately 20 years of ‘green consumer’ campaigns indicates that
although a majority of people do think and care about environmental and health
impacts of their purchase, only 10-12% of consumers actually buy sustainably. 119
This is the so called “value-action gap” between people’s attitudes, which are often
pro-environmental and their everyday behaviours. 120
Few consumers have a high awareness or comprehension of the real sustainability
or ethical character of products. The benefits of sustainable products are often poorly
communicated to consumers, so that they are unable to make fully informed
purchasing decisions in accordance with their preference, budget or conscience. 121
But also sometimes, people act unsustainable just because they think that’s what
everyone else does. 122
111 Straughan and Roberts 1999.
112 Gilg et al. 2005.
113 Eagly 1987.
114 Straughan and Roberts 1999.
115 Straughan and Roberts 1999.
116 Gilg et al.2005.
117 Stern 2005.
118 Gilg et al. 2005; Straughan and Roberts 1999.
119 O´Rourke 2005.
120 National Consumer Council and the Sustainable Development Commission 2006.
121 Verveke et al. 2007.
122 National Consumer Council and the Sustainable Development Commission 2006.

Arias & Söebech 40
Consumer choices are also formed by the conditions that the surroundings offer,
such as financial resources, the location of jobs and grocery shops, the opportunities
for using public transportation, proximity to a waste disposal site or whether it is
socially acceptable to choose an environmentally adapted lifestyle. Substantial parts
of our everyday consumption are made up of habitual actions. People perform such
actions without evaluating all possible consequences of our choice or all possible
alternative options. Habits are formed among other things, to facilitate everyday living
and are often hard to break. 123
Consumer act within social, technological and market boundaries, as well as the
boundaries of their own knowledge and that can limit their capacity for behavioural
change. 124 A change requires a combination of measures aimed at removing
obstacles, in order to create opportunities and measures for creating incentives, as
well as steps intended to create commitment in these issues. 125 However, there is
still scope for consumer’s action. People in their role as consumers can influence, to
some extend, the sustainability of their lifestyles and large potential exist when
promoting, for example, community and grass-root initiatives supported or organised
by people themselves; such as the case of worldwide movements including the Slow
Food and Slow Cities movements. 126 Specific examples of such initiatives include
common practices of renting out cottages for several people, car-sharing or cohouses
communities. Building a network of individual consumer activists can help
bring about policy change and accelerate the demand for green products.
123 Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Consumer Affairs Sweden 2005.
124 Mont and Plepys 2008..
125 Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Consumer Affairs Sweden 2005.
126 Slow Food.

Arias & Söebech 41
3 Behaviour
Behaviour studies as well as market research are essential for developing a
successful awareness raising instrument or a campaign, due to the fact that these
voluntary approaches depend on the reaction and participation of the consumer.
Research initiatives can pull together evidence on public understanding, attitudes
and behaviours, identify behaviour goals, and draw conclusions on the potential for
change across a range of behaviour groups. 127
3.1 The challenge of consumers’ behaviour
change
The challenge for encouraging consumers to act more sustainably is that the change
required of them is often at the more complex end of consumer decision-making
processes. 128 Consumers’ behaviour is influenced by personal as well as contextual
or situational factors that may inhibit their purchase of sustainable products. It has
been well reported that for many people there is a gap between their high level of
concern about the environment and their actions, called the value-action gap. 129 In a
research held by Robison and Smith (2002), 52% of consumers were interested in
purchasing “earth-sustainable” foods, but did not purchase them because of different
barriers. The most frequently listed perceived or real barriers to closing the valueaction
gap have been the belief that one person cannot make a significant difference,
lack of availability or accessibility of a sustainable product, more effort required to
purchase sustainably, higher cost of sustainable products and lack of understanding
of the problem/lack of information. 130 Also, people appear to be “locked-in” to
particular behavioural patterns that seem to be resistant and difficult to change,
which occurs in part through incentive structures, institutional barriers or inequalities
in access that encourage unsustainable consumption. 131
This realisation of consumers’ barrier to life style changes highlights the importance
of a good understanding of such internal and external factors that influence
individual’s behaviour. Several research studies have attempted to explore them
through the development of different behaviour models.
127 DEFRA 2008.
128 Holdsworth and Steedman 2005.
129 Defra 2008.
130 Defra 2008.
131 Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Consumer Affairs Sweden 2005.

Arias & Söebech 42
3.2 Behaviour models
In order to understand what motivates consumer behaviour and drives behavioural
change, conceptual models play an important role. There exist a variety of different
conceptual models of consumer behaviour and some of them have been developed
more specifically in the context of understanding pro-environmental behaviour. 132
Through the analysis of this pro-environmental behaviour models, many
opportunities for interventions to motivate sustainable consumption can arise; such
as the case of identifying points where information instruments, such as awareness
raising campaigns could be helpful, or points where policy makers could act to
influence and motivate people towards sustainable consumption.
According to Jackson (2004), it is possible to identify two different kinds of
approaches used to understand consumer behaviours. The first group of approaches
consider characteristics internal to the individual, such as attitudes, values, habits
and personal norms; and the second group consider external characteristics such as
fiscal and regulatory incentives, institutional constraints and social practices.
According to the first approach (internalist approach), consumers are free to choose
pro-environmental behaviours, assuming that they possess appropriate beliefs or
attitudes; while in the second (externalist approach), consumers are “locked in” to
consumption choices by a variety of external conditions. Jackson also suggests that
the internalist approach calls mainly for awareness raising, information provision and
advertising campaigns to motivate pro-environmental attitudes, while the externalist
approach calls for a combination of incentives and changes in the regulatory
structure.
In scientific literature, there are a vast number of models that consider either an
internalist approach or an externalist approach. 133 One of most widespread model of
behaviour change that guides much of existing policy and considers an internalist
approach has been the rational choice model, which tends to assume that
consumers always maximise benefit to themselves, making perfectly informed
decisions based on accurate information. 134 According to the rational choice theory,
people weigh up the expected benefits and costs of the different actions, and choose
132 Jackson 2004.
133 Jackson 2004; Stern 2000.
134 Holdsworth and Steedman 2005.

Arias & Söebech 43
the one that offers the highest expected net benefit or the lowest expected net
cost. 135 However, this model has been criticised, mainly because of the assumption
that behaviour is dominated by individual choice, when it is well understood that
human behaviour is extremely complex consisting of a moral as well as a social
decision-making contexts.
The latest studies in the field suggest that both, internal and external characteristics
should be integrated in more complex models to have a better understanding of the
complexity of behaviour, and some models have attempted to do this. 136 Therefore,
these models can help to gain understanding of which causes of behaviour, being
internal or external, are fundamental to a person’s life and will require intervention for
change.
Jackson (2004) made a review of a number of behaviour models finding the Stern’s
model (ABC) one of the most significant efforts in overcoming the internalistexternalist
dichotomy. Its proponents claim that attitude-behaviour link is strongest
when contextual (external) factors are weak or non-existing. However in this model,
the role of habits is still missing. In a later publication made by Stern in 2005, 137 he
presents a “Causal Model of Environmentally relevant behaviour” (table 1). This
model suggests that is possible to influence individual behaviour, within the limits set
by context, habit, personal capability, by making people aware of the adverse
consequences of their actions, and by showing them that their personal behaviour is
important enough to make a difference. People who do not see connections between
their behaviour and such consequences, or who believe that their actions are
insignificant for creating a change will not be motivated to act by an internalised
sense of obligation. It will require external motivations or pressures in order to get
them to change.
135 Jackson 2004.
136 Bagozzi et al. 2002; Stern 2000.
137 Stern 2005.

Arias & Söebech 44
Table 1. A Causal Model of Environmentally Relevant Behaviour 138
Level of
Causality
Type of Variable
Example
7
Social Background and Race, socio-economic status, financial
general personal capabilities
resources
7
External conditions (incentives
and constrains)
Prices, regulations, technology, convenience
7 Social influences Social norms, advertising
6 Basic values
Egoism, altruism, openness to change,
maintaining tradition
5 General beliefs and norms
Belief environment is fragile or resilient;
attitude about environmental protection
Belief that recycling is good for environment,
4
sense of personal obligation to reduce fossil
Behaviour-specific attitudesbeliefs
and personal norms
fuel use, believes about the personal and
environmental costs and benefits of particular
behaviours
3 Behaviour-specific knowledge
Knowing which packaging is biodegradable;
which household behaviours emit air
pollutants
2 Behavioural commitment Decision to travel by bus
1
Environmentally relevant
behaviour
Automobile purchase
Source: Stern 2005
3.3 Factors for behavioural change
From the evidence found in literature and explained in the preceding section, any
approach to influence behaviour should consider multiple interventions, focusing both
on the internal and external causes of behaviour. However, this is not an easy task.
Consumer choices are influenced by several factors such as moral, habit, personal
motivations and social norms, 139 making it enormously complex to encourage
sustainable consumption. Many factors can inhibit people’s ability to purchase
according to their desired level of social and environmental responsibility, such as
lack of information regarding the environmental and social impacts of the products
that people buy, 140 price and lack of trust. 141
138 Variables at higher numbered levels of causality have the potential for direct influence on
variables at each lower numbered level. Sometimes, the most important effects skip levels of
causality.
139
Jackson 2004.
140 O´Rourke 2005.
141 Robinson and Smith 2002.

Arias & Söebech 45
Therefore, behaviour change seems to depend on a conjunction of factors, so that
changing just one factor is likely to make a difference to only a small segment of a
target population. Different internal and external factors matter to different individuals
at different times. When it is impracticable to change factors like physical
infrastructure or regulations, the use of other internal factors to influence on
behaviour such as attitudes or values, offer the greatest potential for change. 142
Building on social norms is one way to induce behavioural change within the limits
set by the behavioural context. 143 Social norms have a powerful effect on people’s
decision-making and habits, and are reinforced by the infrastructure and institutional
context. Once something is established as a social norm it is much more likely to
become a habit for consumers. 144 Therefore, social norms, habits and routines are
decisive factors explaining consumption practices. 145 Habit is a crucial factor in
behaviour change, which is often very difficult to break. 146 To break habits will require
particular focus on “unfreezing” existing habits, which will involve changing the social
context in which consumers operate. 147
Also, activating personal altruistic norms with messages that highlight the social or
environmental consequences of specific behaviours and the importance of the
individual actions seems to be an effective approach. Making people aware of the
consequences of their environmentally significant behaviour for other people and the
environment, and by demonstrating that an individual’s actions are important (at least
in concern with others), have the potential to activate personal altruistic norms and
change behaviour. 148 The believe that people’s personal effort can contribute to the
solution of a problem is the so called Perceived Consumer Effectiveness (PCE) and
it is an important factor that has been highlighted in several research studies. 149
According to Straughan and Roberts (1999), it is more important that consumers
believe in the efficacy of individuals to combat environmental destruction than it is to
show concern for the environment.
142 Stern 2005.
143 Stern 2005.
144 Holdsworth and Steedman 2005.
145
ASCEE 2008.
146 Jackson 2004.
147 Holdsworth and Steedman 2005.
148 Stern 2005.
149 Vermeir and Verveker 2006; Roberts 1996; Stern 2005; Straughan and Roberts 1999; Gilg
et al. 2005.

Arias & Söebech 46
Additionally, the perceived availability of a product is a factor that has an influence on
consumer’s behavioural control with respect to sustainable consumption. 150 The term
perceived availability indicates if a consumer feels that he or she can easily obtain or
consume a certain product or service.
The previous analysis shows that a variety of factors, being both contextual and
personal, have the potential to assist in bringing about behaviour change, and
according to Jackson (2004), humans can learn new behaviours through trial and
error, through persuasion, or through various forms of social learning. Various
approaches are used to motivate consumers to change their behaviour such as,
information campaigns and sophisticated marketing techniques. 151 Information and
awareness campaigns have been widely used for achieving public interest goals, but
they are known to be less effective than others like, for example, observing how
others behave and modelling people’s behaviour on what they see around them. 152
Nonetheless, awareness campaigns can play an important role in persuasion and
can be more effective to motivate consumer in change their behaviour when some
factors are considered:
• Building in personal values and norms 153
• Acting on perceived availability 154
• Acting on perceived consumer effectiveness (PCE) 155
• Raising involvement and participation 156
• Using emotional and imaginative appeal 157
• Making limited cognitive demands 158
• Applying principles of community management (credibility, commitment, faceto-face
communication, etc) 159
Overcoming problems of consumer lock-in, unfreezing old habits and forming new
ones, understanding the complexity of the social logic in which individual behaviours
150 Vermeir and Verveker 2006.
151 Holdsworth and Steedman 2005.
152 Defra 2008.
153 Stern 2005.
154 Vermeir and Verveker 2006.
155 Straughan and Roberts 1999; Vermeir and Verveker 2006; Stern 2005.
156 Holdsworth and Steedman 2005; Vermeir and Verveker 2006.
157
Stern 2005.
158 Stern 2005; Holdsworth and Steedman 2005.
159 Stern 2005; Holdsworth and Steedman 2005.

Arias & Söebech 47
are embedded: all these are pre-requisites for successful behaviour change
initiatives. 160
3.4 Segmentation of population
In order to procure a successful behaviour change towards sustainable consumption,
an adequate “segmentation” of the target population it is essential. Considering that
consumers are not a homogenous group, a segmentation of population can create
opportunities to target specific groups with different approaches.
Socio-demographics variables such as age, sex and income have been a traditional
way to segment population due to the fact that several of these variables achieve
statistical significance. 161 However, demographic variables lack the explanatory
power of the psychographic variables. According to Straughan and Roberts (1999),
using psychographic variables such as attitudes and responses to environmental
appeals or using a mixed model with demographic and psychographic variables is
preferred over the traditional demographic profiling methods.
Understanding people’s attitudes and beliefs can bring opportunities for behaviour
change. Although some evidence suggests that there is not a direct causal link
between attitudes and behaviours, 162 and that the attitude-action gap has been well
reported in research, 163 there is still room for influencing towards sustainable
consumption when attitudes and beliefs are used as segmentation criteria. For many
people, changing their attitudes can lead to a specific behaviour change and for
others not.
Some studies have attempted to use attitudes and beliefs as segmentation criteria. 164
Defra, based on its Evidence Generation Programme, published the report “A
Framework for Pro-Environmental Behaviours” in 2008, and in this study consumers
were categorised into 7 different segments based on their attitudes towards
sustainable consumption. 165 Additionally, after the seven segments were identified,
160 Jackson 2004.
161 Straughan and Roberts 1999.
162 Defra 2008.
163 National Consumer Council and the Sustainable Development Commission 2006; Defra
2008.
164 Defra 2008; Straughan and Roberts 1999.
165 Segment 1: ‘Positive greens’ 18% of the population (7.6 million); Segment 2: ‘Waste
watchers’ 12% of the population (5.1 million); Segment 3: ‘Concerned consumers’ 14% of
the population (5.7 million); Segment 4: ‘Sideline supporters’ 14% of the population (5.6
million); Segment 5: ‘Cautious participants’ 14% of the population (5.6 million); Segment 6:

Arias & Söebech 48
other criteria such as motivations and barriers to sustainable action, and current and
potential behaviours were also considered. The report also considers different
approaches to reach the different segments. This segmentation model is the
outcome of desk research, qualitative and quantitative research, and it is based on
people’s responses to a broad range of attitudinal questions conducted as a part of
the 2007 Defra attitudes and behaviours survey. 166
Recent studies also suggest that people should be targeted at situations of change.
This necessity to reorganise daily routines, based on life changes, creates windows
of opportunity. 167 According to an ongoing research project by the University of
Berlin, 168 life events such as the birth of a child or moving to a different location can
generate windows of opportunity toward sustainable consumption, as people need to
adapt to new situations and are consequently inclined to reflect upon their routines.
Some other potential situations of opportunities could occur when persons change
dwelling, change workplace or occupation, get married or divorced, etc. 169
People under situations of change can possibly be found in specific places and
activities, making it more straightforward to apply the different approaches towards
behaviour change. For example, people moving to a different place can be
approached trough municipal programs or welcome packages where information
about sustainable alternatives available in the new place of residency can be
distributed; such as the case of a successful experiment in Stuttgart 170 which
addressed people who had just moved with targeted information on public transport,
resulting in an increase of its utilisation. Also, the extra time that comes with
retirement, or even before retirement when family responsibilities start to reduce, can
be used to participate in green or ethical activities such as recycling or supporting
ethical causes. All the information received in these types of activities can generate a
positive change in consumption routines. This segment of population is generally well
informed regarding health and can be more receptive towards products such as
organic ones. Another example is the birth of a child, which is an event that can
generate major changes in people’s lives. Mainly motivated by health aspects for
‘Stalled starters’ 10% of the population (4.1 million); Segment 7: ‘Honestly disengaged’
18% of the population (7.4 million).
166 Defra 2008.
167 Hetwich and Katzmayr 2004.
168 Technical University Berlin, Social-ecological Research Programme of the German
Federal Ministry of education and research (BMBF) 2008-2011.
169 ASCEE 2008.
170 Hetwich and Katzmayr 2004.

Arias & Söebech 49
their children, young parents can see sustainable food as a better option, such as the
case of organic food. New parents can be approached in different activities, such as
supportive and informational programs that governments provide to parents after a
birth of a child.

Arias & Söebech 50
4 Awareness raising campaigns as information
instruments
As mentioned in chapter two, several instruments are used for SCP purposes.
Instruments such as standards, mandatory labels, taxes and charges, subsidies,
incentives, education, voluntary labelling, corporate reporting, producer
responsibility, advertising and public procurement are used in most OECD countries
and are constantly being developed further with new experiences and evidence.
Each of these instruments, serve a specific purpose and tackle the consumption
problems in society from a different angle.
Also high on the agenda are information instruments and awareness raising
campaigns, aimed at influencing consumer behaviour, as well as greening of the
market and sending governments signals. By providing information and raising
awareness, the importance of consuming more sustainably is stressed and
consumers given appropriate skills and competencies to act. However, there is no
mandatory element in these instruments, and changes are dependent on people’s
willingness to change their consumption patterns. As stated in an OECD study on
household consumption published in 2002:
“Consumers are the most difficult economic actors for governments to
reach. They are a large, dispersed and heterogeneous group and their
behaviour in generating negative environmental externalities is varied.
Governments also want to avoid excessive intervention in consumer
decision-making. As a result, more attention should be given to the scope
for different social instruments to promote sustainable consumption.” 171
Information and awareness raising efforts are not intended as a stand-alone
instrument for addressing the problems of consumption, but necessary nonetheless,
as people are the essence of society, with free will, and must be on board for
changes to occur.
Information instruments and awareness raising campaigns have been developing
and continue to aim for higher effectiveness. In the past, these were mainly broad
campaigns, promoting environmentally friendly purchases. Example mentioned in an
OECD study on good sustainable consumption practices, published in 2008, include
‘Education for Consumption’ in Mexico, ‘Consumption and Environment’ in Demark,
‘Eco-Buyer Campaign in Finland’, ‘Green Purchasing Network’ in Japan, and
171 OECD 2002.

Arias & Söebech 51
‘Consumer Pledge for Sustainable Consumption’ in Korea. 172 These campaigns
were not considered effective in bringing about changes in lifestyles or consumption
patterns. Today, campaigns also attempt to put information in an interactive context,
and to combine information with other enabling conditions to encourage consumer
action. 173 These campaigns are developed strategically, based on research,
planning, targeting, mix of tools and sometimes conducted over a longer period of
time. They are often based on customer oriented social marketing techniques, and
use the concepts and tools of commercial marketing and advertising companies.
They are more focused around a single issue, often providing practical solutions and
use the multi-media to get a message across. 174
Government campaigns and NGO or business instigated campaigns are perhaps of
slightly different nature, as governments focus is higher in information giving and
NGOs and companies may target specific products or issues. NGO based
campaigns often also try to reach governments’ attention, demanding them to take
action.
Information and awareness-raising among consumers through public
communications campaigns are commonly used in to promote sustainable
consumption. In early years, awareness campaigns by governments were in general
not that effective in promoting more sustainable consumption patterns or lifestyles.
More recent communications campaigns are sophisticated in their focus. 175
172 OECD 2008.
173 OECD 2002.
174 OECD 2008.
175 OECD 2008.

Arias & Söebech 52
Box 1. Examples of government campaigns
• 3R campaign in Japan, building on cultural traditions to promote sustainable packaging
and recycling
• Let us Reduce our Garbage: We’re Overflowin, in France, targeting single-use
throwaway
• products, excessive paper printing, and bottled water.
• Water: Use it Wisely, in the United States, an advertising campaign on water use, which
highlights effective ways to save water in and around the home with the tagline “There
are a number of ways to save water and they all start with you. You are water-saving
device No. 1”.
• Clean Air Day in Canada, an annual day dedicated to climate change issues with
personal lifestyles, particularly transport modes.
• The Big Clean-Up in New Zealand, a print campaign to focus on, among other things,
transport-related pollution; monitoring showed that campaign awareness among
consumers was 50% and 12% of those polled had changed their behaviour.
• Smarter Choices, in the UK, a personalised travel planning campaign as part of the
wider Sustainable Travel Towns programme run by the Department of Transport to
reduce consumer car mileage.
• The little things aren’t so little if 60 million of us are doing them in France, a
government-sponsored television and radio campaign in 2006 sought to sensitize the
public on how their actions contribute to climate change and biodiversity loss
Source: Promoting Sustainable Consumption GOOD PRACTICES IN OECD COUNTRIES, 2008
NGOs can deploy both negative information to critique leading brands, and positive
information to help build new markets for improved products. 176 Confrontational
approaches are still quite common for NGOs in pointing out problems to business
and governments but NGOs are increasingly developing more strategic ways to force
government, consumers and companies to listen. 177
Governments, business and NGOs are increasingly joining their efforts and
experiences and creating collaboration campaigns. The benefit of the partnership are
clear, as these three have been identified as key players to SC. Governments can
provide funding, information, facilities, act as negotiators, and enlarge the campaign,
whether it is municipal or national government involved. 178 NGOs can contribute for
example with their experience of campaigning, add credibility and act as
coordinators. NGOs are also in a position to be in a closer relationship with people
than governments. Business can contribute by providing the sustainable product or
service, making it more visible, offering attractive offers and with their marketing
knowledge come up with new approaches. Examples of some collaborative
campaigns are listed in Box 2.
Box 2. Examples of collaborative campaigns
176 O’Rourke 2005.
177
Kong et al. 2002.
178 OECD 2002.

Arias & Söebech 53
• Das bringt’s Nachhaltig in Austria, yearly Sustainability Weeks event when
thousands of retailers throughout the country promote and have special offers on
organic, fair trade, and locally made products.
• We’re in this together in the UK (and recently launched in Australia and the United
States), a campaign promoting lowering carbon emissions of households with a
number of high profile companies providing energy efficient products or services
from eco friendly car insurances to home insulation, at an attractive price
• Bioweek in Belgium, an annual event, organised but Bioforum, an umbrella
organisation for organic farming and food, brings together farmers, universities,
municipalities, business and other institutions and organises different events for
that for a period of time bring attention to organic food.
• Biologish, eigenlijk heel logisch in the Netherlands, a long term campaign started
in 2002, aiming to increase consumption of organic food, involving government
and shops, providing e.g. product demonstrations, TV publicity spots, and store
discounts.
Source: a compilation from various documents
“Promoting a shift in consumption requires changes both in available
products and infrastructure – the so-called “hardware” for
consumption behaviour (which requires actions by governments and
business), and in consumer attitudes towards purchasing and using
alternative goods the “software” of consumption behaviour.
Analysis of the driving factors behind the development of specific
consumption patterns is critical to determining the relative emphasis
that needs to be given to changing the “hardware” and/or
“software”.” 179
There are several factors that need to be taken into consideration and issues to be
addressed when developing information and awareness raising campaigns. These
include looking at the information to be given, tackling lack of knowledge while at the
same time addressing the information overflow, understanding behaviour of
consumers, target groups, individuals and community aspects, choosing a relevant
topic and the approaches as well as combination of tools to use in order to reach
people. Firstly, a prerequisite for a campaign to gain public support and success is to
conduct a sincere, transparent and credible campaign, which is consistent in its
message. 180
4.1 The Information
Today, people are facing an overload of information, and consumers are often at a
loss in finding relevant and useful information. Research indicates that there is a
179 OECD 2002.
180 UNEP 2006b.

Arias & Söebech 54
rising consumer scepticism and lack of faith in labels. 181 It is of great importance that
information created and distributed is accurate, credible, easy to access, clear,
understandable, relevant, practical and to the point. Campaigns can thereby prove
important in meeting consumers’ demand for information and reduce their efforts and
time in searching for the relevant information, enabling them to act.
The type of information, content and format, likely to reach consumers has to be
identified. For this, a good understanding of the target group is vital as different
approaches appeal to the different groups. In general, many consumers are aware
that their behaviour has impact on the environment (and social consequences), but
do not know what to do about it. Providing a step by step guidance with background
information, motivation and practical solutions that they can implement is a common
approach. 182
4.2 Understanding the consumer
A key factor in reaching consumers is to understand them, and to meet them where
they are. This means that consumers are addressed at the level of their
understanding and interest on a topic. For example in promoting sustainable food
consumption, people might be highly receptive to the discussion on the health
benefits of organic food. 183 By using surveys, focus groups, interactive tools or
engaging in a dialogue, the target groups’ areas of interest and areas that will likely
appeal to them can to a degree be identified. 184
A campaign addressing issues that are high on people’s agenda, and considered
urgent is more likely to succeed. Additionally, conveying both the individual added
benefits to the consumer at the same time as the ecological and social benefits of a
product or a service is recommended. 185 Win-win situations, such as energy savings,
health improvements or financial saving, are likely to reach consumers. However,
this is not possible in all cases, as there are many significant environmental impacts
that do not fit into this frame.
It must also be considered, when trying to understand and address consumers, that
they are different individuals, and at the same time, embedded in wider social
context, influenced by several factors. To motivate consumers, will need more than
181 OECD 2002.
182 OECD 2002.
183 German Federal Environmental Agency and the German Federal Ministry for the
Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety. 2004.
184 OECD 2002.
185 Scmidt-Pleschka and Dickhut 2005.

Arias & Söebech 55
informing what they can do. They will have to see what can be expected of others. In
order to strengthen the sense of community and visibility of a larger group taking
action, and not only the individual, many campaigns use tools to support and
reinforce individual action such as bringing consumers in contact with each other and
creating virtual communities on websites where combined efforts are shown as a
total result. 186
4.3 Case Studies
For the purpose of this research, after scanning through a number of different
campaigns, eight awareness raising campaigns were selected for further analysis.
These are both examples of highly strategic campaigns that combine several tools
(such as “We're in this together” and “The Austrian Sustainability Weeks”) and more
limited single approach campaigns (such as “Drop your Own” campaign).
Campaigns selected as case studies:
• The Big Clean Up
• The Big Ask
• We're in this together
• That’s the Way to do it. Sustainably
• The Clean Clothes Campaign
• One tonne less
• Act on CO2
• Drop Your Own
4.3.1 The Big Clean up
Description
In 2002 The Big Clean Up campaign (BCU) was launched in New Zealand by The
Auckland Regional Council, supported by the Ministry of the Environment and other
sponsors, to raise interest among business, urban and rural communities in
sustainable issues. This campaign endorsed the capacity of individuals and
businesses to make relatively simple changes to their behaviour with a view to
186 OECD 2002.

to: 188 • Raise awareness of key environmental issues affecting the Auckland
Arias & Söebech 56
improving overall sustainability. 187
Objectives
The goals of the BCU household programme targeting the urban community were
region
• Create the connection between individual actions and those issues
• Change the targeted behaviours-increase the number of people taking
environmental actions around their homes and in the community
• Provide simple solutions to each issue
• Create individualized “personal action plans” for those who join the
programme
Approach
The BCU featured strong marketing images and messages to increase awareness of
sustainability issues, including waste management, water and air pollution and
congestion. The campaign worked on shock tactics and it was designed to engage
individuals and households in sustainable living, especially among the public middle
ground, not those already committed to a green lifestyle. 189
Actions
In April 2002, using public events, media coverage, and advertising, the campaign
focused on three environmental issues: air, storm water and waste. Suburbs were
selected with mostly English-speaking families and 170.000 questionnaires were
issued inviting membership. The first mailbox drop resulted in 34.000 people joining,
187 Frame and Newton 2007.
188 Frame 2004.
189 Frame and Newton 2007.

Arias & Söebech 57
a response rate of 20%. On joining, a person received a personalised action plan to
improve the environment, based on his/her questionnaire response. 190
After the launch, the BCU campaign focused on one issue at a time, using TV and
media advertising coupled with direct communication to those who joined. All
advertising aimed at highlighting the pollution issue and providing a solution. The first
component addressed was air quality and messages like “More Aucklanderes die
from breathing than driving” were used in printed advertisements along the city.
The second component was water and the campaign “save your drain for rain” was
launched. The database of BCU members grew to over 43.000, reaching about one
in ten households. In 2003, the campaign “reduce your rubbish” was launched to
introduce the National Waste Strategy and BCU and all other regional councils joined
in developing this national waste campaign. This was an opportunity for councils to
work together on educating the public in the form of a national advertising campaign
supported by regional, city and district councils. The latest approach of BCU was
based on best practices in changing travel behaviour. The aim of this campaign was
to reduce car dependency by focusing on “low value” car trips, such as trips shared
with others. Unlike previous BCU campaigns it targeted a specific community rather
than the whole region and shifted from a mass-media broad awareness approach to
more individual and community-specific strategies. 191
Indicators for measurement and outcomes
Membership of BCU after one year was about 44.000 and 53% of those surveyed
were aware of the BCU, of whom 99% supported BCU and 20% had changed their
behaviour. Although the BCU has been considered as a successful campaign,
questions arise about the level of reliance of the campaigns without ongoing
190 Frame 2004.
191 Frame 2004.

Arias & Söebech 58
investment in multimedia advertising and other initiatives. 192
4.3.2 The Big Ask 193
Description
The Big Ask campaign was started by FoE UK, over two years ago on the topic of
CO2 emission reduction. In February 2008, the campaign was formally launched at a
European level in Brussels, and has today spread throughout 17 countries in Europe.
A pre-launch also took place in Brussels in December 2007, which marked the start
for the FoE Flanders and Brussels. Participating countries are, Austria, Belgium,
Czech Republic, Denmark, EWNI (England, Wales and Northern Ireland), Finland,
Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Malta, the Netherlands, Scotland, Slovenia,
Spain and Sweden. National and local FoE groups are organizing the campaign at
country level. As each national and local FoE office works autonomously, each
campaign is conducted differently in each country, yet using the same theme,
mission and goals.
Objectives
The Big Ask campaign calls for governments to commit to binding annual targets for
cutting emissions. It is therefore mainly targeted towards governments, not individual
behaviour. There is one European website, www.thebigask.eu where common
information is posted and additionally, each country has their own site. According to
the European website:
Our Big Ask is that EU member states make legally binding
commitments to cut emissions year-on-year. These cuts should be
equal to at least a 30% reduction of EU-wide domestic emissions by
2020 and 90% by 2050.
192 Frame 2004.
193 Information in this section is based on an interview (Heller 2008); and the campaign’s
websites (The Big Ask EU; The Big Ask UK; The Big Ask Flanders and Brussels).

Arias & Söebech 59
• “The Big Ask will engage hundreds of thousands of people across
Europe. People will be empowered to take action against climate
change by making this demand of their politicians – at the levels of
both national government and the European Union.
• People will take action by visiting their local MPs, signing postcards
and petitions and staging local actions. Friends of the Earth groups
will organise concerts, exhibitions, and other events, and engage
national celebrities to inform people about and engage people in the
campaign.” 194
Approach
The Big Ask Campaign is grounded on
solid research, analysis of the political
background and it builds on the success
of the UK campaign.
The objective of the campaign is clear,
asking governments for direct annual
emission reduction targets. In line with
other FoE campaigns, the Big Ask, does
not aim to change individual behaviour,
but to create a pressure on
governments to act. The opinion is that governments are in a much better position to
create actual substantial change, to make changes in behaviour a matter of fact.
The defined target group is people that are already motivated and relatively wellinformed
As the campaign is conducted at a European level, but implemented by autonomous
local FoE groups, the approaches and strategies differ. They all have the same
target, they all use the internet as a means to get their message across, and they all
conduct face to face communication at various locations, asking people to sign a
petition. Additionally, the music band Radiohead is a common denominator, and they
are this summer touring Europe, and going with them is a European FoE group.
National FoE groups conduct their campaign at these concerts also.
194 The Big Ask EU.

Arias & Söebech 60
At a Belgian level, FoE Flanders and Brussels have been implementing the
campaign since December 2007. As there is a relatively high awareness on climate
change, the campaign efforts do not require giving explanation on what climate
change is, but can focus solely on asking for the annual reduction targets.
Actions
FoE Flanders and Brussels, uses a mixture of tools to reach the target group. These
include face-to face communication, media and marketing techniques, distribution of
printed material and a website.
Face to face communication are conducted at several locations, where their target
group is likely to be such as the Wereldfeest in Leuven and the Wercther music
festival, where Radiohead was playing. The next event is planned for 10 August in
Ostenede. There FoE is arranging a large beach party with the support of several
partners. In addition to having stands at these various locations, collecting
signatures, FoE also organized public debates, where there was a possibility to
provide more in-depth information on the topic.
Radiohead has been a key factor for attracting publicity and raising the profile of the
campaign, and is a conscious marketing strategy. Additionally printed promotional
material such as posters and postcards have been made and distributed.
The websites also play a large role.
On the European website, keywords
used include to empower, engage,
inspire and inform the people of
Europe in order to reach the stated
goals. An analysis of the Big Ask
Europe’s website revealed that the
clarity of objectives is clearly
presented on the site, and there is
some evidence of a solid research base. There is not much information on the
problem of climate change, but a good explanation on government’s position and
role, as well as a solution for individuals – being to sign a petition and contacting
local governments. The site appears credible (as FoE is an established NGO),
information is regularly updated and the design of the website is very clear, and easy

Arias & Söebech 61
to browse through. On the downside, there are no interactive features on the
European site, video material is hard to locate and there is little visibility of indicators
or expected results.
On the Belgian website, similar features are found. There are links to FoE’s facebook
and myspace, but the full potential of the website for communication has not been
reached, due to lack of capacity.
Indicators for measurement and outcomes
Apart from the target of engaging politicians to set annual targets, the Big Ask
campaign’s internal target is to engage 10% of the population. According to the
European wide website, at 14 July, 2008, 176.874 people have taken action with the
campaign in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. This is not 10% of the population,
as the population of Northern Ireland is over 1.7 million people, the population of
Wales is almost 3 million and in England over 50 million, totalling a population of
around 55 million people .195 Nonetheless, the ongoing campaign can be considered a
success, with over 130.000 people having contacted their MPs. The UK Government
has announced its intention to introduce a climate change bill this year.
In Belgium, a relatively high number of people have responded to the campaign, but
there is certainly some way to go before it is declared a success story. The campaign
that has been running in Belgium for around 6 months has received funding and is
planned to continue for at least two years. This is therefore the largest scale
campaign the FoE Flanders and Brussels has been involved in and the highest
amount of people that the campaigners are directly in contact with.
Working at a European level campaign has also had its pros and cons. As FoE is not
a centrally run NGO, but each office has autonomy, there has been freedom to
design the campaign that suits the local environment. Additionally, joining an existing
campaign, that has and is being successful in the UK, both saves time and one can
build on something already recognized. However, working locally, there is a lack of
overall quality control, making the campaign conducted at very different levels of
quality between countries. This might negatively impact the campaign.
In Belgium the timing of the campaign is not ideal. Today, there is perhaps a level of
fatigue growing on the topic of climate change. Additionally, the market is crowded
195 UK Office for National Statistics.

Arias & Söebech 62
with so many other organisations such as Greenpeace, WWF and Natuur punkt all
involved in their own climate campaigns. Another problem related to timing, is that
the media has been preoccupied with issues relating to the discussion of local
politics, and regional conflicts between Walloon and Flanders. Thus, there has been
less space in the media for the campaign.
Financial capacity is also a limiting factor, as well as capacity of the office to do
everything needed.
Finally, there is the risk of rebound. As for instance in the UK, there is now a plan to
build a nuclear power plant, in order to reach targets of emission reductions.
4.3.3 We’re in this together
Description
In April 2007 the NGO The Climate
Group launched a UK based campaign
called “We’re in this together” in
collaboration with the UK Government,
and several large companies.
The main message of the campaign is
that we all share a responsibility in
reducing our carbon footprint, and that by
all doing our bit, together we can make a
difference. Tackling CO2 by providing easy to implement solutions, products and
services offered by the companies involved in the campaign.
By regular events and offers, the subject is kept under focus and in the media. The
campaign addresses primarily CO2 and consumption related to energy use. 196
Objectives
The campaign aims at decreasing the gap between consumers’ sustainable
intentions and actions in terms of carbon emission reduction by bringing together
attractive offers. 197 The main goal is to reduce household emissions in the UK by one
196 We’re in this together.
197 ASCEE 2008.

Arias & Söebech 63
tonne - or 10% - over three years.
Approach
The campaign has been supported by Prime Minister Tony Blair who was key in
attracting several companies to participate, and currently eleven corporate partners
participate in the campaign. 198 These companies all provide at least one sustainable
product or service at an attractive price for the consumer. For example, one company
that provides insulation material gives special offers and beneficial tariffs in ecomaterials
for insulation and provides its customers with an online calculator to help to
work out how much insulation is needed. Therefore, consumers are hence not
primarily attracted to purchasing a sustainable product or service because of the
moral considerations, but because of the economic attractiveness of the offer. All the
participating companies provide their individual offers on the campaign’s website
(www.together.com). Additionally, the website provides information on climate
change, easy to do actions and shows the progress of the campaign.
The participation in this campaign is based on the voluntary commitment of
companies and people and aims at creating a win-win-win situation. Companies
receive public attention through the campaign, improve their image and can tap into
a new market of consumers, while consumers benefit from the campaign having
good offers and potential to save money, thus making sustainable consumption
easier.
At the online virtual community, people sign up, and list their reduction actions
suggested by the campaign. Every time a person takes up one of the partner’s
products or services, the CO2 savings are added to a counter called “Togetheriser”.
Purchases made from corporate partners are calculated as emission reduction, and
the progress is also listed on the website.
Actions
Together campaign uses a mix of tools to reach its target group such as media and
marketing techniques and a website. The campaign has been designed to address
not only the ‘green‘ consumer but also the general consumer. 199
Some events and activities have been done in order to get attention such as the “free
energy saving light bulbs for Londoners weekend” where people could get 2 bulbs for
free. Before Christmas, a group of the campaign team went to the main shopping
198 ASCEE 2008.
199 ASCEE 2008.

Arias & Söebech 64
areas conducting personal communication and in April, the energy wasting day was
set up as a sarcastic joke, featuring video material online of an energy wasting fool.
The main tool use in this campaign is the website www.together.com which centred
on offers of products and services of the corporate partners, as well as general
information on climate change, easy to do actions, and display of the progress of the
campaign. A further analysis of the website (see Annex 1) shows clarity of targets,
practical solutions provided such as a list of “17 ways you can fight climate change”,
recognised brands and organisations involved. Also, interactive features, movies,
virtual communities and additional links to myspace and facebook are provided.
Information is regularly updated and has been put forward in a simple and easily
readable form. The results are displayed in number of tons saved by households of
cities in the UK. However, there are no easily detectable publications or references to
scientific data, only a fact sheet on climate change. The campaign is kept alive by
regular new activities, on the web, and in the community.
Indicators for measurement and outcomes
The effectiveness of the campaign will be measured in two ways: The aggregated
carbon savings as a result of consumer uptake of partner solutions will be measured
using calculations. The Climate Group will also track behavioural change as a result
of solutions promoted via the ‘Together’ campaign. This will be via an expanded
version of the tracking study called the Climate Conscious Consumer. 200
Until July 2008, over 500.000t of CO2 have been reported as being saved, which
means 43% towards saving a tonne for every household in London. The We’re in this
200 The Climate Group.

Arias & Söebech 65
together campaign has recently been launched in USA and Australia. 201
4.3.4 That’s the Way to do it. Sustainably
Description
In Austria, the Ministry of Environment in partnership with other ministries, retailers
and NGOs, sponsors the annual Sustainability Weeks event to promote organic,
locally-produced and fair trade goods under the theme “That’s the Way to do it.
Sustainably”.
The aim of the campaign is to change consumer behaviour through advertising,
product promotion and the launch of new eco-friendly products.
Objectives
The campaign was launched in 2004 and was a month-long campaign with four
objectives: 202
• To encourage consumers to buy sustainable products.
• To use products and special offers to raise awareness of sustainability
and give practical examples of sustainable development.
• To highlight good examples of local sustainable development initiatives.
• To give publicity to the partners (government and retailers) in the media.
Approach
The campaign branding was carefully designed by an independent advertising
agency and had the aim to hold following
characteristics. 203 To:
• Convey sustainability in a simple way.
• Be short and concise.
201
We’re in this together.
202 Sircome.
203 Sircome.

Arias & Söebech 66
• Be adaptable for different advertising formats.
• Be flexible for use in different media.
• Relate to a wide variety of themes, such as fair trade, environment, etc.
• Be easy to recognise – catchy but not annoying.
• Aid the sale of products.
Actions
No high-profile advertising was used; rather, partner shops included inserts,
advertisements and features in their own magazines. A range of materials was also
developed, appropriate to the target audience: 204
• A sixteen-page product booklet (650,000 copies
distributed to shops).
• 3,000 posters, used in shop entrances and at local
markets and fairs.
• A website that provided in-depth product
information and details of local outlets
(www.nachhaltigewochen.at)
• Public relations activities attended by the
Environment Minister
Indicators for measurement and outcomes
The campaign team came up with a series of criteria to evaluate its success. Levels
of awareness were tested by an independent research institute. Evaluations found
that the campaign increased consumer awareness, particularly among women, and
prompted greater numbers of retailers to join in successive years. 205 The outcomes
204 Sircome.
205 OECD 2008.

Arias & Söebech 67
of the campaign were: 206
• Supermarket chains in all of the target sectors were partners in the campaign.
• Sales increased
• Pre-and post campaign surveys indicate that the campaign had a significant
impact on awareness
• The media coverage was a successful considering that 191 media reports
were recorded
• A number of NGOs were involved in local events in each of the regions
• 21 local initiatives were carried out in four regions
Since the campaign was launched in 2004, the sustainability weeks are held each
year in Austria using the brand “That’s the Way to do it. Sustainably” and this
umbrella brand is being used to highlight exactly defined products advertised in fliers,
ads and in the stores. 207
4.3.5 Clean Clothes Campaign 208
Description
The Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) is an international campaign, with autonomous
partner groups at a national levels. There are 13 national CCC (2 in Belgium):
Austria, Belgium (Flemish-speaking), Belgium (French and German-speaking),
206 Sircome.
207 Schmon and Trattnigg 2004.
208 Information in this section is based on an interview (Broekx 2008); and the campaign’s
websites (The Clean Clothes Campaign; Schone Kleren Campagne; The Play Fair 2008
Campaign).

Arias & Söebech 68
Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland, UK. There is an international secretariat, base in Then Netherlands. The
CCC is made up of various national NGOs and trade Unions. Additionally, there are
CCC projects, project groups and task forces, as well as partner network of NGOs, in
garment producing countries in Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe and Central America. In
total, over 200 different organisations participate in the campaign.
Objectives
The CCC aims to improve working
conditions and to empower workers in the
global garment industry, in order to end the
oppression, exploitation and abuse of
workers in this industry, most of whom are
women. This is done by:
• “Putting pressure on companies to take responsibility to ensure that
their garments are produced in decent working conditions.
• Supporting workers, trade unions and NGOs in producer countries.
• Raising awareness among consumers by providing accurate
information about working conditions in the global garment and
sportswear industry, in order to mobilise citizens to use their power
as consumers.
• Exploring legal possibilities for improving working conditions, and
lobbying for legislation to promote good working conditions and for
laws that would compel governments and companies to become
ethical consumers.” 209
Approach
With the 4 broad categories of activities, the campaign aims to reach one main
objective. Under the main campaign, many smaller ‘sub-campaigns’ are conducted
and various activities. As national CCC are autonomous, they participate in the
European actions, but may also have their own initiatives, such as providing web
information on where consumers can find sustainably produced clothes.
National CCCs target companies in their countries, pushing them to take action.
They also work as part of the international CCC network - including partners in
countries where garments are made - to join together for coordinated international
campaigns such as the Play Fair 2008 campaign. 210
209 The Clean Clothes Campaign.
210 The Play Fair 2008 Campaign.

Arias & Söebech 69
A mix of instruments is used to reach the campaign’s objectives, and single issues,
suppliers, retailers and multinational corporation are targeted throughout this long
term campaign.
Consumers play a lead role, and the CCC takes measures to raise awareness and
mobilise consumers to take action. By bringing to the public’s attention the reality of
poor working situations and lack of unions in the garment industry, politicians are
lobbied to make stricter regulations, companies, retailers and Multinational
corporations are pressured to take more responsibility for their supply chain and
develop a code of conduct.
“The CCC is a public campaign and harnesses the power of the people to
push for positive social change. We gather information and present it to
consumers in a variety of ways… so that they know the truth about how
clothes are produced… Armed with this information we encourage citizens to
pursue a variety of ways to take action to improve working conditions in the
industry where the clothes they wear are made” 211
Thus, the CCC, with its different activities, national and European ‘sub-campaigns’
addresses consumers, companies, factories and governments. The CCC is also a
‘watchdog’ based on appeals they receive, providing assistance in cases of labour
rights violations.
The CCC works also with other organisations to simultaneously push all those
responsible for improving workplace conditions to actively work to solve problems. 212
The CCC has been an active campaign for almost 20 years. The “Schone Kleren
Campagne” Belgium has been pursued in since 1996 with successful stories in its
trajectory. One of the main characteristics of the CCC is that they conduct “positive
campaigns”, meaning that their main objective is not to promote a boycott but to
stimulate the consumer to ask about the working conditions of the employees behind
a brand, creating in that way pressure on companies to take responsibility to ensure
that their products are made in decent working conditions. Therefore, they make
contact with workplace managements and owners of the brands or retailers in order
to communicate worker’s demands.
Actions
The CCC uses a variety of tools to pressure companies and governments and to
reach out to consumers.
211 The Clean Clothes Campaign.
212 Schone Kleren Campagne.

Arias & Söebech 70
As can be visible fro the European website, information and education are a strong
basis for their campaigns. The CCC has published several reports and newsletters
and the website is full of information on various cases, and general information.
Among activities there are educational programmes, demonstrations, ads, debates,
books, rallies and internet communication.
Currently the CCC campaign
Play Fair 2008 is highest on the
agenda. A special website has
been
created
(www.playfair2008.org) and
activities are at a European
level. The Play Fair 2008
focuses on the steps that sportswear and athletic footwear companies, the
International Olympic Committee, National Olympic Committees and national
governments should take to follow up on their responsibilities to improve conditions
in the sector. The campaign targets the Olympic Family, the sportswear industry and
governments to act and specific measures are recommended and listed. People are
urged to participate by sending appeals to the Olympic organisations, sports wear
industries and their governments.
The have one European website in addition to the national website. On the European
website, the objectives of the campaign, relevance of the problem and background
information is clearly visible and there is a good indicator of scientific and credibility
of the information source. However, what the individual can do is less apparent,
although a people are asked to join the CCC Urgent Action Network. When joining,
they will receive emails on issues with suggestions for action. As educative and
comprehensive the website is, it is slightly overcrowded with and lacks attractive
features and design.
Another characteristic of the CCC is that the campaigns uses “codes of conduct” as a
campaigning tool, asking for the development of them or informing consumers what a
big brand name company says in their code like for example, minimum wages, and
then what the reality is. However, when talking about barriers, even when companies
developed a code of conduct, they often don’t implement their plans in reality;
therefore external audits should be required.

Arias & Söebech 71
Indicators for measurement and results
On the European website, there are some cases of success mentioned, and a large
indication of success is when companies adopt a code of conduct. The battle is
ongoing and the CCC plays an important role, making continuous campaigns all over
Europe.
According to Mrs. Broekx, one success
story of the CCC is the case of Adidas in
Belgium. Adidas, was the major sponsor
of the European Football Championship
that was held in Belgium in 2000, and the
Schone Kleren Campagne launched a
media campaign to highlight the poor
conditions and terms to which textile workers are subject, sending open letters to the
companies and football associations in local newspapers. Several politicians and
prominent football players from Belgium spoke out in favour of better wages and
conditions in the sporting goods industry and in December 1999, the UEFA agreed to
change its code of conduct. Also a big campaign was launched with the motto
"injustice doesn't score" that included a football match between politicians and
Belgian celebrities. Additionally over 40,000 pictures of Belgians asking for better
wages were hanged in the sportswear industry. Finally the representatives of Adidas
reacted and changed its own code of conduct.
According to the latest survey, more than half of the population of Flanders in
Belgium knows about the concept behind these campaigns.
4.3.6 One tonne less
Description
In Denmark, the One Tonne Less campaign was
launched jointly by the Ministries of Environment and
of Energy and Transport in 2007 to influence citizens
to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions based on a
calculator of personal carbon emissions and
suggestions for changing daily behaviour. 213 Planned
213 OECD, 2008.

Arias & Söebech 72
as a one-year campaign, activities are still ongoing. Although developed and
launched by the government agencies, a large number of businesses, NGOs and
local political authorities are engaged in the campaign.
Objectives
The main goal of One tonne less is to reduce the average personal annual emission
of CO2 from 6 tonnes to 5 tonnes, nearly a 17% reduction. It is directed at Danish
consumers, individuals and households, with the main 2 target groups of relatively
well of green consumers and young people. 214
Approach
The One Tonne Less campaign uses a variety of activities to engage consumers and
influence behaviour change. Based on extensive research and planning, and by
showing political leadership, the campaign functions to attract attention on the topic,
to provide information on the problem as well as to give simple and practical targeted
solutions. A coordinated mix of tools is used to raise awareness and entice and
enable people to act and partners organize several events. A holistic approach is
taken, by focusing on information and education, entertainment and giving
consumers advice for easy ways to reduce their carbon footprint. Apart from their
section on the website ’25 fun climate-gifts’ where products with low CO2 impact are
listed, no specific product or retailer is promoted.
Actions
The campaign is built up around 5 elements:
• Online personal CO2 calculators and virtual
community
• Actions for the individual via website
• Use of celebrities to attract attention and
enhance credibility
• Spreading the word – face to face
communication, workshops, exhibitions and other events
• Competitions and games
On the campaign’s website, all the actions come together. With the virtual
community, people sign up and calculate their CO2 emissions and their reduction.
214 ASCEE 2008.

Arias & Söebech 73
There is also both general information on climate change as well as more
comprehensive educational material. Practical advice, directed specifically towards
the target group is listed, games and competitions and a section where celebrities
speak out on the topic. Additionally, Danish poets have written poems on climate
change that are posted on the website. The information is clear and targeted, and
being a government site has relatively high credibility. There is also available the
programme of activities organised around the campaign. Relatively low effort is
required from consumers, as most of the solutions provided are simple and easy to
implement. There website has a clear an simple structure. The site is rather static,
but news updates, and an indicator at the bottom of the page showing how many
have signed up and how much CO2 has been saved is regularly updated.
Indicators for measurement and outcomes
At the end of the campaign, it will be benchmarked
according to the environmental attitudes and
behaviour in December 2005. 215 Additionally, the
campaign has set internal goals that can be
measured (e.g. the results of the online calculator).
According to a recent poll, one-half of all Danes have heard of the “One ton less”
campaign. One in six claimed actually to have reduced their emissions as a result,
and 82% to be willing to do so. 22.000 have so far actually undertaken to cut their
emissions by as much as one ton. 216
The campaign has been well developed and though out. The limiting factor is
perhaps that the framework created by businesses and political authorities is not at
all changed. Financial incentives or structural changes have not accompanied the
campaign and is limited to information and encouragement. 217
4.3.7 Act on CO2
Description
In 2007, the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
launched the “Act on CO2” campaign to make people aware of the link between their
own everyday behaviour and climate change. The campaign highlights the wide
215 ASCEE 2008.
216 The Sus Nordic Gateway.
217 ASCEE 2008.

Arias & Söebech 74
range of individual behaviours that cause CO2 emissions and the impact we have on
climate change. Its key message is that carbon emissions cause climate change and
40% of emissions in the UK come directly from individual behaviour. 218 Also, the UK
Department for transport launched the “Act on CO2 Drive smarter” campaign giving
tips for smarter driving and vehicle choice that will reduce the CO2 emissions from
cars, giving the message “the car you choose can help reduce your impact on the
environment, and help save money"
Objectives
The Act on CO2 campaign aims to raise awareness of the link between personal
behaviour and climate change.
By choosing the car with the most fuel efficient engine in its class, CO2 emissions
from cars could be reduced by 8%, and if everyone buying a brand new car opted for
the most fuel efficient model in its class, CO2 emissions from new cars could be
reduced by 24%. 219
Approach
Defra's campaign tells people the simple and easy things they can do to reduce their
impact on the climate that will often save them money too. Examples are walking a
short distance rather than driving, drying clothes outside rather than in a machine,
and only partly filling a kettle.
Actions
The campaign uses press, television and online adverts to illustrate how simple
changes to everyday actions can reduce the carbon emissions for which everyone is
responsible. The online advertisements appear in the most popular websites such as
Yahoo, AOL and Streetmap. To support this campaign, Defra has published a
booklet on communicating climate change and the role of individuals in helping to
overcome this problem. The booklet is entitled "Climate Change: Your Guide to
218 Defra-a.
219 Directgov.

Arias & Söebech 75
Inspiring Action". Defra has also produced two short films about climate change. The
first film illustrates why climate change is happening and the newest film, "My CO2",
aims to help people make the link between their own actions, CO2 emissions and
climate change. 220
DEFRA has also developed the “Act on CO2 calculator”, 221 a web-based system that
allows the general public to input information about their type of house and heating,
energy use, including through appliances, and their travel. It provides users with an
action plan personalised to their own situation, with suggestions on how to reduce
their carbon footprint. One of the most important aspects of the calculators is that it
allows people to return to it and to update their profile. Then it is possible to compare
their new profile with their existing one to monitor any improvement.
This application has recently been incorporated into a Google Maps interface, which
allows users to view other important environmental information such as average
waste recycling amounts and locations of waste recycling centres and solar energy
suppliers. The application also allows users to indicate their location on a map of the
United Kingdom, along with their current carbon footprint and a list of commitments
they are willing to make to reduce their impact 222 .
220 Scemes.
221 Act on CO2.
222 Gis Café.

Arias & Söebech 76
Indicators for measurement and outcomes
The main way to measure the effectiveness of the campaign is trough the use of the
calculator. Nearly 700.000 people used the Act on CO2 calculator from its launch in
June 2007 to January 2008. 223
4.3.8 Drop your own
Description
The campaign was launched in December 2005 by the Ministry of Environment and
Water of Hungary in order to achieve better results in waste separation and to
involve the population into environmental issues. The first phase of the campaign
took place between December 2005 and January 2006 and the second one in April
2006. 224
Objectives
The main objective was to create an umbrella communication that unites the different
messages that the Ministry wanted to transmit regarding to selective collection of
packing waste, electronic waste, etc.
Approach
The target audience of the campaign was adults, between 18 and 39 years with
higher level degrees (college, university), who lived in bigger towns and whose
financial status was above average. 225
Actions
223 Defra-a.
224 Best Practices in National environmental communication campaigns.
225 Best Practices in National environmental communication campaigns.

Arias & Söebech 77
The campaign launched several television spots as its main communication tool.
Additionally on-line communication was used, posters, stickers, and printed materials
were placed in various locations, newspapers and on the selective waste containers
in shops.
Indicators for measurement and outcomes
According to the UNEP, 226 a survey was carried before and after the development of
the campaign finding that before the implementation of the campaign, more than
57% of the population said that they have knowledge about the opportunities of
selective waste management but did not use it. However, after the campaign, this
number was reduced to 21%. Also according to media poll, the TV spots reached
83,1% of the target group. Additionally, during the campaign there were more than
42.067.104 downloads from the microsite and banners and the customer service
received hundreds of emails and letters from the citizens who were positive and
generated further questions which could be helpful for future work. 227
Printed advertisements have been adopted for many years in campaigns specially
focused on themes such as road-safety, alcohol, smoking or substance abuse. 228
While there is literature that suggests that this kind of approach has been successful
in reducing for example cigarette consumption, 229 there are other studies that
suggest that this kind of approach alone is not enough for achieving sustainability
goals because, for example, these kind of advertisements do not go far enough to
involve individuals in processes of co-producing knowledge about sustainability, and
to give them expertise in exercising sustainability in their daily lives 230 . Experience
has shown that information alone will not reach goals of changing consumer
behaviour when other conditions are missing. Linking information with other
instruments, such as incentives, media coverage, bonus systems, point of sale
guidance and direct communication with consumers, building community networks,
providing deterrents for highly environmentally harmful consumption along with the
several points mentioned above are likely to have a higher impact. Today some
campaigns are trying to combine strategically as many of these enabling conditions
as possible with relative success.
226 NEP DTIE, SCP Branch-c.
227 Best Practices in National environmental communication campaigns.
228 Frame and Newton 2007.
229 Goldman and Glantz, 1998.
230 Frame and Newton 2007.

Arias & Söebech 78
4.4 Findings and factors of Success
In addition to the factors mentioned above, several researchers have developed
checklists and a number of guidelines published that list the key success factors of
behaviour change campaigns. After the analysis of nine of these published studies
and considering also the success factors mentioned during the interviews made to
four experts in the field, 61 success factors of behaviour change campaigns were
identified (See Table 3). These 61 factors were grouped into 12 main categories
called “Key success factors of behaviour change campaigns” that are listed in Box 3
below. It is important to state that this list by no means exhaustive.
Box 3. Key success factors for campaigns
1 Careful knowledge based preparation and organization
2 Set clear objectives
3 Know your target group, segment and create specific measures for
particular audiences
4 Partner up
5 Be credible and consistent
6 Have a good message
7 Have a good mixture of communication tools to attract attention
8 Raise involvement
9 Act on perceived availability
10 Act on perceived consumer effectiveness PCE
11 Select the right timing of the campaign
12 Develop methods for assessment
Careful knowledge based preparation and organization
Extensive preparatory work is essential for a successful campaign. Understanding
the subject and the situation before starting, ensuring that people involved in the
campaign know the relevant material, conducting audience research, professionalism
and good organisation are crucial. Building an integrated strategy with a long-term
approach were all barriers are identified, good targets and objectives are well
defined, messages and channels for diffusion are established, and the mechanisms
to measure progresses are considered will lead to a successful intervention. It is also

Arias & Söebech 79
important to consider expert guidance and a solid scientific evidence base is
essential.
All the case studies are based on research to some degree. The campaigns ‘One
tonne less’, ‘Act on CO2’ and ‘The big clean up’ are exemplary for having a good
evidence base of information including consumer behaviour information, previous
studies and surveys that are used as a point of departure.
Set clear and feasible objectives
Having clear, feasible and concrete objectives and goals in a campaign is key for a
successful behaviour change. Almost all of the campaigns analysed have clear
objectives and goals. However, some of them are not feasible in the short run. For
example the overarching goal of ‘We’re in this together’ and the ‘One tonne less’
campaign is to dramatically reduce CO2 emissions. Without accompanying
instruments such as economic instruments and structural changes, the goal is
unlikely to be met.
Know your target group, segment and create specific measures for particular
audiences
As described in chapter 3, a good segmentation of population can create
opportunities to target specific groups with different approaches. Understanding the
target population and choosing the adequate segmentation scheme is important to
procure a successful campaign. The campaigns ‘One tonne less’ and ‘The big clean
up’, have established clear target groups and different approaches for each segment.
However, for the ‘Clean Clothes Campaign’ there is no indication of a consumer
target group.
Partner up
Another major factor for successful implementation is the reliance on a network of
partners such as NGOs, governments, municipalities, consumer organizations,
manufacturers and retailers. 231 It is key also to involve local community groups to
participate and to help in spreading the word, as such as international organizations
to create different pressure points.
It is important to have a good knowledge of all the activities that the partners are
carrying out avoiding in this way to develop a separate campaign, with a different but
related target, on a topic that others are doing. When working with different
231 O’Rourke, 2005; OECD 2002; UNEP 2006b.

Arias & Söebech 80
international organisations, it is important to have a centralized quality control unit
acting at local level.
It is also important to consider a manageable number of partners and the adequate
ones, ensuring to work with credible NGOs and organizations, and attractive,
committed and involved partners.
Both ‘We’re in this together’ and ‘That’s the Way to do it. Sustainably’ campaigns
have a good number of key partners and credible NGOs managing the campaigns.
Campaigns such as ‘The Big Ask’ conduct collaboration between countries via the
various FoE groups. This is beneficial as the campaign reaches a larger group of
people cross countries. However, lack of national partners, as in the case of ‘The Big
Ask’ Belgium, weakens the national campaign.
Be credible and consistent
It is common sense that without credibility, consumers will not react to a message of
a campaign. This is especially relevant for business oriented campaigns. In the
United States, there is only 20-25% faith in the credibility of information provided by
companies themselves, whereas over 47% trust NGOs. 232 Companies making green
claims, often attract attention of NGOs, and if the rest of their marketing strategies do
not comply with their green statements, they are accused of greenwash. By showing
transparency, companies can avoid this suspicion. NGOs play an important role both
for companies and governments in increasing consume trust. 233 As the example of
‘We’re in this together’ and ‘That’s the way to do it. Sustainably’, companies
participating are made credible with the support of the whole campaign and the
involvement of government and NGOs. On the ‘We’re in this together’ website, the
information provided on the criteria companies have to fulfil to join the campaign are
listed, adding to the factor of credibility.
Have a good message
Having a clear and good message and a sellable story to tell with a good cause can
motivate and inspire people to act. Making it personal and practical, positive and
tangible and be punchy but not simplistic can help. A good example is the message
of “We’re in this together” campaign which make emphasis on the fact that we all
share a responsibility in reducing our carbon footprint, and that by all doing our bit,
together we can make a difference.
232 UNEP, UN Global Compact, and Utopies 2005.
233 UNEP 2006b.

Arias & Söebech 81
Have a good mixture of communication tools to attract attention
Ensuring widespread exposure to the message with a good mixture of
communication tools such as, TV, internet and printed advertisements is crucial for
reaching the target group. It is important to locate arenas for free publicity and
ensure mass media coverage for increasing awareness and for stimulating
interpersonal communication. The use of a carefully designed campaign branding
with a catchy but not annoying logo and a flashy motto will help get attention.
Ensuring quality of promotional material and providing reliable information that
demands limited cognitive demands is an important factor.
The internet is a much used arena for spreading information, and it also has other
application, such as creating interactive communities, and a point of selling
sustainable products and services. 234 The use of the internet is highly recommended
based on literature and interviews. Platforms such as websites provide opportunities
for interactive features, videos, virtual communities and links with networks can be
implemented. However, with the perceived overload of information and the immense
number of websites dealing with environmental and consumption topics, just any
website will not do. There are several factors that must be considered for reaching
audience through the web. A campaign based solely on internet communication is
also likely to have low impact, as research indicates that information, without
accompanying measures are not considered successful. 235 Seven out of the eight
case studies analyzed use websites as communication tool, being the “The big clean
up” campaign the only one that doesn’t use this tool and it has been hardly criticized
for that.
Information websites on sustainable consumption are still of a broad scope. Some
websites are not necessarily a part of a campaign, but provide practical information
on where people can find sustainable products (e.g. http://www.milieukoopwijzer.be,
http://www.etenisweten.be/, http://www.ecotips.co.uk/cms/, http://www.debeterekoop.be/,
http://www.greenbrussels.be/). Several websites also assist the consumer in his/her
choices by comparing different products and rating them, and thereby simplifying
their search (e.g. http://www.ethiscore.org/, http://www.topten.info/,
http://www.ecotopten.de). NGOs, consultant agencies, businesses (e.g. banks and
airlines) governments and other institutions have developed online calculators,
234 UNEP 2006b.
235 UNEP 2005a.

Arias & Söebech 82
enabling people to directly measure the impacts they are having based on their
lifestyles or consumption patterns. Ecological footprinting and carbon footprinting are
the most visible ones. Often these websites, also give practical advice on how to
reduce their impacts (e.g. http://www.myfootprint.org/en/,http://footprint.wwf.org.uk/,
http://actonco2.direct.gov.uk/index.html,http://www.carbonfootprint.com/,
http://www.carbonneutral.com/calculators/,http://ecologicalfootprint.com/,
http://www.epa.vic.gov.au/ecologicalfootprint/,http://www.barclaycardbreathe.co.uk/5_1_co2_f
ootprint_calc.htm), http://www.footprintnetwork.org/,
A more detailed analysis of different information websites on sustainable
consumption can be found in Annex 1.
Raise involvement
In order to reach people and get them active, people must be engaged. By
conducting personal communication and guidance for example at the point of sales,
people will find it easier and more compelling to act. Having a story to tell, and using
emotional and imaginative appeal is often used, as with the ‘Clean Clothes
Campaign’ although moralistic approaches are also avoided by for example ‘We’re in
this together’ and ‘The Big Ask’. There, focus is on making it easy for people to get
involved. Making relevant appeals and reaching people by building on their own
personal values and social norms, addressing issues considered pressing is more
likely to make people want to get involved. The use of this approach can be seen by
the large number of campaigns currently addressing climate change, using the
momentum created by the high attention devoted to the subject in the media and
research community.
Act on perceived availability
As stated in chapter 3, one of the main challenges to change behaviour is to
overcome perceived and real barriers to sustainable consumption. The perceived
lack of availability or accessibility of a sustainable product is a barrier that can be
overcome providing information to the consumers highlighting the places where the
product or service is available. When promoting a product, it is important to ensure
that the product is of attractive and of high quality and that it is present in good
supply and readily to be found in the distribution. Highlighting the additional benefits
of a product such as heath, taste, along with the sustainability benefits can help in
bringing more people into action. ‘We’re in this together’ and ‘That’s the way to do it.

Arias & Söebech 83
Sustainably’, are focused in promoting sustainable products making them more
visible to consumers.
Act on perceived consumer effectiveness PCE
Perceived consumer effectiveness PCE has been identified has one of the most
important factors for behaviour change in the analysis of consumer behaviour made
in chapter 3. As stated by Strauhgan and Roberts, 236 “it is more important that
consumers believe in the efficacy of individuals to combat environmental destruction
than it is to show concern for the environment”. People who believe that their actions
are insignificant for creating a change will not be motivated to act; therefore it is
important to demonstrate that individual’s actions, at least in concern with others, are
important enough to matter. 237 In order to increase PCE it is important to create a
sense of community in order to make people feel that they are not alone acting for a
lost cause. Campaigns should be able to help people to act together, creating
networks of interpersonal communication and applying principles of community
management. “We’re in this Together”, “One Tonne Less”, and “Act on CO2”
campaigns make strong emphasis on community-building and invite consumers to
act together.
Select the right timing of the campaign
Timing is linked with the factor of raising involvement and engaging people. In order
for a campaign to reach attention, the topic should be relevant to the target group
and considered pressing. With the increase in food prices, increased awareness of
social implications and environmental problems associated with food production, and
due to several high profile stories of health risks and diseases linked with meat and
poultry consumption, focus on food related issues are considered an important factor
for households, especially families with young children.
Not only should the right timing of the general campaign be well established, but also
the individual activities as well as the key location. For example, many consumption
decisions are not pre-planned, but made on the spot. 238 Therefore, being at the
location of purchase can have a higher impact that campaigning out of the context of
the issue being promoted. ‘That’s the way to do it. Sustainably’ addresses
sustainability issues and health issues of food in the shops of partners, and by being
an annual event, creates a tradition and keeps the discussion ongoing.
236 Straughan and Roberts 1999.
237 Stern 2005.
238 DTI Sector Sustainability Challenge and Defra 2006.

Arias & Söebech 84
Develop methods for assessment
Having good indicators for measuring the effectiveness of the campaign is essential.
A good base line of the situation before the campaign it is important to see if the
goals were accomplished. Many campaigns use surveys before and after the
implementation of the campaign to measure effectiveness such as, ‘One Tonne
Less’, ‘The big clean up’ and ‘Drop your own’. However, a survey cannot always be
well carried out or well elaborated and can show a different reality, that is why it is
recommended to avoid over-reliance on surveys. Some campaigns have developed
other methods to assess the effectiveness of their interventions; such as the case of
the ‘We’re in this Together’ campaign, which measures the effectiveness of the
campaign through the aggregated carbon savings as a result of consumer uptake of
partner solutions through specific calculations.
It is also important to evaluate the campaign during its execution to improve its
effectiveness, in order to be able to improve the campaign while ongoing.
Considering the possible negative side effects generated is no less important.
Analysis of the eight case studies
Looking at the eight case studies with the identified 12 key success factors, a
qualitative analysis was conducted. In table 2 below, all eight campaigns are listed
and graded. It is clear that for all cases, these criteria have been addressed to some
degree. As the campaigns are of different nature, they should not be directly
compared against each other, and the table is meant rather to give an overview. It
can however be noted, that the ‘That’s the way to do is. Sustainably’ and the ‘We’re
in this Together’ campaign both score very highly. They also have many similarities
and are product oriented and take a highly practical approach to reach consumers,
providing sustainable products and making it easy for people to make small steps
towards a more sustainable lifestyle.

Arias & Söebech 85
Table 2. An overview of success factors identified in 9 case studies
Factors for success
The big ask
Act on CO2
Clean Clothes
campaign
One ton less
That’s the Way
to do it.
Sustainably
The Big Clean
Up
Drop your own
in this
We’re
together
Careful knowledge based
preparation
and
organisation
*** *** *** *** *** *** ** ***
Set clear and feasible
objectives
*** * ** ** ** ** * **
Know your target group,
segment and create
specific measures for
particular audiences
** * * ** ** ** * **
Partner up ** * *** ** *** * * ***
Be credible and consistent *** *** ** ** *** ** *** ***
Have a good message ** *** *** ** *** * ** ***
Have a good mixture of
communication tools to
attract attention
** *** ** *** *** * * ***
Raise involvement ** *** ** ** *** ** *** ***
Act on perceived
availability
* ** * * *** * ** ***
Act on perceived
consumer effectiveness
PCE
** *** ** ** *** * ** ***
Select the right timing of
the campaign
* ** *** ** ** *** ** **
Develop methods for
assessment
** * ** *** *** *** * ***
* Low intent /not enough
** Medium intent / good
*** High intent / very good
In table 3 below, all 61 success factors identified are listed. The crosses indicate
from which source these factors are mentioned. The research conducted for this
chapter was used when developing the Think! pilot campaign, and as many of these
factors as possible, were taken into account.
4.5 Full table of identified criteria

Arias & Söebech 86
Table 3. Identified criteria as success factors for awareness raising campaigns
Reports*
Expert Interviews**
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A B C D
Careful knowledge based preparation and organisation x x x x x
Avoid over-reliance on surveys x
Conduct audience research x
Extensive preparatory work is essential for a successful
campaign x x
Map all barriers and build an integrated strategy. x
Define message(s) and channel(s) x
Understand the subject and the situation before starting x x x x
Plan how you will manage the campaign as it progresses x
Seek expert guidance x x
Organise implementation and have good overview of targets x x
Campaign for a good cause x
Have a sellable story to tell x
Ensure all involved in the campaign know the relevant
material x
Professionalism and good organisation x
Take a long-term approach x x
Use a co- coordinated mix of tools x
Set a clear Objective x x x x
Set clear, feasible and concrete targets x x x
Set ambitious commercial goals x
Know your target group, segment and create specific
measures for particular audiences x x x x x x
Partner Up x x x x
Build partnerships with credible NGOs or governmental
organisations x

Arias & Söebech 87
Involve local community groups in spreading the
word/participation x x
Use international solidarity to create different pressure points x
Get the support of local/international celebrities x x
Avoid doing a separate campaign, with a different but related
target, on a topic that other organisations are doing. x
When working with other organisations, have a centralised
quality control and implement at local level x x
If working with companies, ensure they are ‘attractive’ and
committed x
Know the partners/companies that you collaborate with x
Be credible and consistent x x x x x x x x
Demonstrate credibility of the information source x x x x x
Ensure quality of your material x
Use labels to make your claims more comparable
and credible x
Demonstrate consistency x x
Win people's trust x
Have a good message x x x x x
Make it personal and practical x
Be inspiring / compelling x
Make it positive and tangible x x
Be punchy but not simplistic x
Clear and good message is important x x
Have a good mixture of communication tools to attract
attention x x x x x x x
Ensure quality of promotional material, look and information x
Use video material on your website x
Use a good logo x
Use a flashy motto that gets attention x
Ensure widespread exposure to the message x x

Arias & Söebech 88
Use the mass media for increasing awareness and for
stimulating interpersonal communication x x
Get the actors’ attention, make limited cognitive demands x x
Locate arenas for free publicity x
Raise involvement x x x x x x x
Engage people x x
Conduct personal communication x x x x
Use emotional and imaginative appeal x x x
Build on personal values and social norms x x x
Make relevant appeals to your target group x
Address issues currently perceived as pressing x
Act on perceived availability x x x x
If promoting a product/product range, ensure the product is
attractive and of high quality x x
If promoting a product, ensure that it is present in good supply
and readily to be found in the distribution x
Highlight additional benefits, e.g. health, quality along with the
sustainability context x x
Act on perceived consumer effectiveness (PCE) x x x x x x x
Create a sense of community x x x
Help people to act together x x
Create peer networks of interpersonal communication x
Apply principles of community management x x
Select the right timing of the campaign x x x
Develop methods for assessment x x x x
Make an assessment of changes in attitude or behaviour x
Assess negative side effects x
Assess impact on industry practices x

Arias & Söebech 89
Evaluate the campaign during its execution to improve its
effectiveness x
Measure and evaluate the communications x x
*
1= UNEP report, Talk the Walk: Advancing Lifestyles through Marketing and Communications, 2005.
2= Report for the Australian Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, More with Less - Initiatives to Promote Sustainable
Consumption, 1996.
3= UNEP report, Communicating Sustainability: How to Produce Effective Public Campaigns, 2005.
4= OVAM report, Analysis of Innovative Environmental Policy Instruments Towards the Realisation of Environmentally Responsible Production and
Consumption, 2008.
5= Defra report, I Will if You Will, 2006.
6= Vermeir, I., and W. Verbeke.. Sustainable Food Consumption: Exploring the Consumer “Attitude-Behavioural Intention” Gap. 2006.
7= Stern, Paul. Understanding Individual’s Environmentally Significant Behaviour. 2005.
8= Holdsworth, Maxine, and Paul Steedman. National Consumer Council. 16 Pain-free Ways to Help Save the Planet. 2005.
9= Straughan and Roberts. Environmental Segmentation Alternatives: A Look at Green Consumer Behaviour in the New Millennium. 1999.
**
A= Guy Capals, UCOS.
B= Marc Bontemps, Ethibel (Oxfam Wereldwinkels).
C= Jaklien Broekx, Clean Clothes Campaign, Flanders.
D= David Heller, Friends of Earth, Flanders and Brussels.

Arias & Söebech 90
5 The Think! Campaign
The evidence base analysed in previous chapters emphasises the challenges of
influencing consumers’ behaviour change towards sustainable consumption patterns;
but it also highlights the potential of information instruments specially awareness
raising campaigns to stimulate sustainable consumption through some key factors
identified in chapter 4 and listed below:
1 Have knowledge based preparation and organisation
2 Set clear objectives
3 Know your target group, segment and create specific measures for particular
audiences
4 Partner up
5 Be credible and consistent
6 Have a good message
7 Have a good mixture of communication tools to attract attention
8 Raise involvement
9 Act on perceived availability
10 Act on perceived consumer effectiveness PCE
11 Select the right timing of the campaigns
12 Develop methods for assessment
In order to explore these key factors, a pilot campaign promoting sustainable food
consumption called “Think!” was conducted in the city of Leuven-Belgium, with the
aim to influence and to stimulate a more sustainable behaviour in people.
The topic - sustainable food
When choosing a topic for the Think! campaign, the relevant success factors out of
the 61 previously identified (see table 3 in chapter 4) were taken into account. These
include: campaign for a good cause, have a sellable story, address issues currently
perceived as pressing and select the right timing of the campaign. As food is the
consumption category, along with mobility, built environment, housing and electronic
products accounting for 70-80% of life-cycle environmental impacts in society, 239 it
can be viewed as a pressing issue, and a good cause. There are several factors that
deem food consumption and promoting more sustainable food consumption
important. Production of food, especially intensive farming practices, cause
239 Sustainable Consumption and Production: A Framework For Action 2008.

Arias & Söebech 91
significant environmental pressures such as excessive water use, land degradation,
waterways pollution, and climate change. Intensive farming practices are highly
energy demanding, even so much that fossil energy input required can be higher
than the energetic value of the food output. 240 Additionally, there are highly negative
social implications linked with the globalised food chains and trade, such as
unacceptable conditions for farmers, degradation of local economies and pressures
from large monopolies. Health issues related to food consumption are also high on
the agenda, as people face obesity, and disease outbreaks occur due to unhygienic
and synthetic chemical intensive food production methods. People are increasingly
concerned with the food they consume, related largely with the increasing prices of
food products and health issues, but ethical and environmental concerns are also
raised. 241 Therefore food, and the promotion of sustainable food, can be addressed
from several angles, which fits well according to the success factor of highlighting
additional benefits, with the sustainability context. There is already a level of
awareness on the subject of sustainable food existing in the Belgian society, and a
continuous demand driven increase in labelled foods and organic foods available in
the marketplace. All these issues make a campaign focusing on sustainable food an
attractive choice, and viable. Thus, the Think! campaign aims to increase awareness
and stimulate consumption of sustainable food.
Following the success factor of understanding the subject and the situation before
starting, extensive research on issues regarding food was conducted. In order to
define sustainable food, we used 4 criteria; organic, locally grown, in season, and
ethically produced and traded food. The main aspects researched were, general
information on conventional/intensified food production, information on the benefits of
sustainable food, availability of sustainable food in Leuven, and existing relevant
labels for sustainable food. The results of our research were prepared in an easy to
read manner on the website created for the campaign (Annex 6). Due to language
barriers, we had limited success in getting an overview of the food production
situation in Belgium specifically. Documents used were mainly at European or
international level.
240 Sustainable Consumption and Production: A Framework For Action 2008; Defra 2004.
241 IMSA 2005.

Arias & Söebech 92
The place - Leuven
After having considered several possible locations for implementation of the pilot
campaign, the city of Leuven in Belgium was selected for several reasons. Leuven is
a small city located in the region of Flanders-Belgium with approximately 91.942
inhabitants and a big segment of the population is young due to the presence of the
Catholic University of Leuven 242 . This was an advantage considering that according
to literature, 243 young consumers in Flanders are involved in sustainable
consumption issues and this is considered a good starting point to stimulate and
increase sustainable consumption patterns. Also, Leuven is characterised by a
population whose income ranges from medium to high and according to Montiel
(2006), in general, the ethical consumer is a person with a higher income and who
has received above average level of education.
5.1 The Think! campaign’s segmentation
Previous evidence analysed in chapter 3, suggested that habits and routines are
crucial factors of behaviour change that are often very difficult to break. Situations of
opportunities presented when people make certain fundamental changes in their life
can be used to unfreeze old habits and form new ones. For the purpose of this
research, this last approach “situations of change” was considered in order to
establish an adequate segmentation scheme that could be used to segment the
target population of the Think! Campaign.
After the first level of narrowing the scope of the target population, that is, choosing a
small city in Flanders with large proportion of young, university educated people and
medium to high income levels, further segmentation of the people living in Leuven
was developed according to three situations of change that can generate windows of
opportunity toward sustainable consumption: retirement, birth of a child and moving
to a different place. These three situations were chosen mainly because people
under these situations can possibly be found in specific places and activities, making
it more straightforward to apply the different approaches towards behaviour change.
242 Vlaamse Kenniscentrum Statistick.
243 Vermeir and Verveker 2004.

Arias & Söebech 93
5.1.1 Retired people aged 50-75 years
A study conducted in Flanders regarding sustainability and ethical values related to
fish, indicates a higher perceived importance of sustainability and ethical issues
among the older consumers out of a test group of women aged between 20-50
years. 244
According to the Flemish Statistical Centre, in 2007 there were 21.363 people over
50 and under 75 years old. This represents more or less 23% of the total population
of Leuven.
5.1.2 New parents
The birth of a child is an event that can generate major changes in people’s lives.
According to the latest report of the Flemish Statistical Centre, 1.315 births were
registered in 2006 in Leuven. Therefore, we can estimate that the number of new
parents in Leuven in that year was around the 1.300. This group represents the
1,5% of the total population.
5.1.3 University students
Starting a university education is an important event in life, and often requires
student to move away from home to a new city. In Leuven, according to the Flemish
Statistical Centre, there were 34.715 students residing in Leuven in 2006, which
equals 38% of the total population.
Within the three target groups identified, there are to be found people with a different
level of motivations ranging from no interest in sustainability issues, to low interest, to
medium or high interest and then to extremely high awareness and motivation to act.
For the Think! Campaign, no distinction was made between these different sections,
but all were targeted evenly.
244 Verbeke et al. 2007.

Arias & Söebech 94
Figure 4. Segmentation of the population according to specific life events
5.2 The concept, goals strategies and indicators
A study undertaken in Belgium in 2004 245 indicates that young consumers in
Flanders are involved with sustainable consumption and that in general, there is a
believe that an individual consumer can, to some extent, contribute to the protection
of the environment and improve producers’ welfare. However, this study also shows
that there is a low perceived availability of sustainable products, making some
consumer intentions to buy sustainable products remain low although attitudes may
be positive. This situation is one of the barriers to sustainable consumption that has
been identified in chapters 3 and 4.
According to the evidence base analysed in throughout the previous chapters, the
main challenges to change behaviour is to overcome perceived and real barriers to
sustainable consumption. 246 The most frequently listed Perceived or real barriers to
closing the value-action gap include:
a) Belief that one person cannot make a significant difference
b) Perceived lack of availability or accessibility of a sustainable product
245 Vermeir and Verveker 2004.
246 Defra 2008; National Consumer Council and the Sustainable Development Commission
2006; The Climate Group, 2006.

Arias & Söebech 95
c) More effort required to purchase sustainably
d) Higher cost of sustainable products
e) Lack of understanding of the problem / lack of information
Whether perceived or real barriers, they lead people to not change their behaviour.
Thus, while developing the structure of the Think! campaign, targeting barriers and at
the same time making as much use of identified success factors as possible became
the baseline of the campaign.
In order to address and break down these five barriers, three goals were established
based on success criteria identified: to increase PCE, to increase perceived
availability and to raise involvement.
Several strategies and actions were shaped in order to make these goals feasible.
The main actions included the creation of informational material, a website, flyers
and posters; the creation of an incentive; a thinkcard with coupons (a sort of a bonus
card) that people could use in our partners’ sustainable shops/farms/markets; and
campaigning actions with personal communication and handing out of thinkcards and
flyers at several locations in Leuven from 31 May- 8 June.
In order to assess the outcomes of the campaign, indicators for 2 of the three goals
were developed. In table 4 below, goals, strategies and actions are indicated in
relation to the barriers identified.
Table 4. Major goals, strategies and actions of the Think! campaign
Barrier Goals Strategies Actions Indicators
a) Increase PCE thinkcard
Campaigning, giving
thinkcards and personal
communication
b) c) d)
Increase
perceived
availability
Partners
Gathering partners,
providing information on
availability and giving
incentives
Coupons used
a) d) e)
Raising
involvement
Webpage and
campaign in
different locations
Information on web,
posters, flyers, verbal
communication. Potato
game, face paint
Number of people
spoken to and visits
to the webpage

Arias & Söebech 96
5.3 Strategies to increase perceived consumer
effectiveness (PCE)
5.3.1 The thinkcard and the gift
According to the literature, community-based action is important to achieve changes
in consumption patterns. People need to feel that they are part of something bigger,
that they are not alone and that they can contribute with their individual choices to a
substantial change in problems regarding unsustainable consumption. Also breaking
out of habits it is difficult as an individual. Groups however can create a new
momentum for change (Defra 2006).
In order to create this feeling of belonging to a community, we created the “thinkcard”
which was like a free membership card. But instead of being a member of an
organisation or association, the card was meant for a larger membership: A
membership of a group of people that care about what they eat and want to
contribute to a society that has respect for people and the earth.
The main idea with the thinkcard was to remind people to think before they purchase
their food, think about where the product comes from, how it was made, and what
are the effects that it may have on the earth and on other people. The card contained
a list of shops, farmers and markets who sell sustainable food in Leuven and that
were our partners during the campaign. Also, a year calendar was printed on the
backside in order to get people to keep the card for a longer period of time.
With each thinkcard, there where 8 coupons attached that people could use to
receive a gift when shopping at any of the partners. The idea behind the thinkcard
was to show people that there are a number of places in Leuven where sustainable
food is sold, and to give people an incentive to visit our partners shop/market/farm
and discover the products for themselves. The thinkcards were presented as a small
gift to people on the street, and by visiting our partners, and by making a small
purchase there, people would receive a gift in return for a coupon. The coupons had
numeration and different colours in order to make it possible to track the origin of
used coupons. In this way we could measure the impact of the campaign and see
how many people used the thinkcard. Additionally, with the different coloured
coupons, that were handed out on different days, we could have an indication of
which day was the most successful in reaching people. The numeration on the other
hand, would give an indication of how often each thinkcard was being used. A total of
1000 thinkcards were distributed during the campaign week, reaching 1% of the total

Arias & Söebech 97
population of Leuven. With each thinkcard, 8 coupons were attached, making the
total of 8.000 coupons given.
The gifts were a contribution from each partner and the validity period of the card
was two weeks, or from1-14 June 2008. The gifts were quite diverse varying from
pencils to reusable cotton bags filled with food samples.
5.4 Strategies to increase perceived availability
In order to reach the goal of increasing perceived availability of sustainable products,
we looked for partners who sell sustainable food in Leuven to make them more
visible to the public. 17 partners participated in the campaign, including 11 shops, 5
farmers and one farmer selling her products directly at the local market. We included
an interactive map on the website were people could find the location and clear
information about each partner. Also, the map was included in the flyers that were
distributed during the campaign week and a list of partners included with the
thinkcard.
Gathering partners was a significant factor for the campaign. It was time intensive
and large part of our preparatory work, and absolutely crucial for the implementation
of the campaign.
5.4.1 Partners
Following the concept of UK’s “We’re in this together” campaign, and the idea that
large brand names are an important influence for the mainstream consumer, the
initial idea was to work with a large retailer, such as Delhaize or Carrefour. However,
after analyzing our concept further, especially with regards to locally produced food,
and the importance of the people behind the product, we chose to reach out to small
shops and local organic farmers in Leuven. Additionally, for practical reasons, we
concluded that the smaller partners would be more willing to participate, as they have
less capital for marketing purposes than the larger chains that have specific
marketing departments.
After identifying the sustainable food retailers in Leuven, we decided to focus on one
market in Heverlee. At this market, which is a mixed sustainable and conventional
food market, there are one organic fruit and vegetable stand, one organic apple
stand, one sustainable goat cheese stand and an Oxfam Wereldwinkels stand. On
Sunday 16 March, we have our first day of partner contact at the Heverlee market.

Arias & Söebech 98
We presented our idea to the 4 prospective partners, not without setbacks.
Regarding the thinkcard and coupons, we realised that the idea of giving discount for
each coupon was not well received, as the farmers on the market see it as important
for people to pay the true cost of food. Thus, we opted for the second idea of giving
gifts to consumers presenting coupons. The apple stand would not be selling apples
in June, as apples are no longer in season, and Mr. René at the sustainable goat
cheese stand does not believe in marketing tactics or awareness raising campaigns.
After communicating with him on three different occasions, we conclude that he
would not join our campaign.
Although the first day presented some obstacles, it proved to be a successful day.
Our concept of the thinkcard became clearer, and we reaffirmed the importance of
knowing and understanding the views of the people we approached with the Think!
campaign proposal. It is not only important to understand what is important to the
people selling sustainable food, and their ideology behind their work, but also to see
that they often have different views from the mainstream retailers on publicity and
marketing. The focus is perhaps more on producing the product or finding it, and
finding a place to sell it. Additionally, seeing as the number of partners to be taken
aboard for the campaign was too small based on only the Heverlee market, our
scope grew to include all small scale sustainable food retailers in Leuven. Finally, we
made our first contact with two partners on that day; Tom Troonbeeckx and Moniek
Broekx. These partners proved to be very important in assisting us to find other
partners and broadened up our scope.
After our first day of contacting prospective partners, we continued with sending
emails and visiting all small retailers of sustainable food around Leuven. With each
partner, we had a personal meeting, where we explained further our campaign,
asked about their personal history as well as their shop and asked their opinion and
input for developing the campaign with us. Our last partner, Veeakker joined the
campaign in the end of April. Thus, it took over 6 weeks to collect all our partners.
Communication and organisation of partners was one of the most time consuming
aspects of the campaign. However, considering their significant role, and the
importance of good relationship with the partners, it was well invested time.
At the end of recruiting all partners, we had 17 partners. These included 11 shops, 5
farmers and one farmer selling her products directly at the local market. In total, we
contacted 24 prospective partners. Thus our success rate was relatively high, or over
70% of those contacted, agreed to participate.

Arias & Söebech 99
All the partners were carefully chosen, and each partner had an interesting story,
which we aimed at portraying on the website as well as in communication with
people during the campaign week. As Mr. Bontemps pointed out during his interview,
an important part of a campaign in reaching people is to have a story to tell. The
Think! campaign had several storylines addressing the different stakeholders. One of
the stories was the story of the people behind the product. 247
With the partners, the level and quality of communication varied substantially.
Additionally the list of partners covered a relatively broad spectrum, from small
organic farmers to the 6 Oxfam Wereldwinkels, making the campaign more dynamic.
5.4.1.1 Shops
The shops that joined the campaign were of different size and scale, and the
communication varied. It was clear that the smaller shops, run and managed by the
owner were easier to communicate with. There were two small organic shops, one
larger shop that is a part of a Belgian chain, one sustainable meat shop, one café,
run by a group of people and employed mainly by volunteers and then all the six
Oxfam Wereldwinkels in the Leuven area, that are also employed by a large number
of volunteers. The broad scope of shops served well the purpose of the thinkcard,
making it appealing to the different consumers.
- Biotoop – Biotoop is one of the oldest organic food store in Leuven. It
opened in 1988, as a collective of 12 organic producers from Leuven,
including a baker, vegetable farmers, a goat farmer and a fruit grower. The
idea of these different food producers was to find one place where all their
various products could be sold without having to go through many hands.
(See Annex 4)
- Karwij – Located in the residential neighbourhood of Kessel-lo of Leuven. In
addition to selling organic food, the shop offers the only ‘groententas’
(vegetable bag) in Flanders for which people can choose between 13 price
levels, 8 options and 2 days to collect the bag, paints and wood treatment
material. Kojje, the owner has over 20 years of experience in sustainable
food, biodegradable cleaning products, natural paint and wood treatments,
cooking and health. (See Annex 4)
- Origin’o –Located directly in the centre of Leuven, Origin’o provides a variety
of fresh, healthy food products that have been made in a sustainable manner.
247 Bontemps 2008.

Arias & Söebech 100
The Origin’o gives the impression of a mix between a local organic store and
a upper class supermarket. Its product range is large, a variety of products
are produced under the Origin’o name and imported Japanese products such
as agar-agar and seaweeds are sold. (See Annex 4)
- Wereldcafe – The Coop Wereldcafe is a café in the centre of Leuven that
sells organic food, fair trade products and a variety of local and/or organic
beer. The Wereldcafé is a joint initiative of some thirty cooperative members.
More than 100 individuals have one or more shares in the cooperative. They
all have an equal say in the business, as much as the staff and the
volunteers. They jointly decided that the surplus generated by the cooperative
will be invested in other social and cooperative economy activities in Belgium
and in the South. (See Annex 4)
- Oxfam Wereldwinkels – Oxfam-Wereldwinkels is a democratic volunteer
movement that strives for fair world trade and thus fights for everyone's right
to a dignified existence. Oxfam-Wereldwinkels is the main fair trade
organisation in Belgium. During the campaign 6 shops participated: Oxfam
Heverlee, Oxfam Kessel-lo, Oxfam Wijgmal, Oxfam Leuven and Oxfam
Wilsele. (see Annex 4)
- Veeakker –Offers sustainable meat, fish and meat products. Additionally
Veeakker collaborates with 30 small scale farmers, assisting them in selling
their products independently and locally. Veeakker also sells fish that is not
endangered by over-fishing, in collaboration with World Wildlife fund (WWF)
(see Annex 4).
5.4.1.2 Farmers
The participation of the farmers was different from that of the shops, and served a
different purpose. The 5 organic farmers organised themselves, as a part of the
Bioforum’s organic week, 248 a bicycle trip around all the farms. On 8 June, an
organised tour was being planned completely and solely by the farmers. The Think!
campaign joined by promoting the bike tour, distributing their flyers and telling the
people that we talked to during the campaigning week about the tour. An agreement
was made that the farmers would give a gift to those presenting a coupon on the day
of the bike trip. We did not expect many to use their coupons on this day, as in
248 Bioforum is an umbrella organisation for organic farming and food. They are organisers of
and annual event in Flanders where organic food is promoted. The bioweek started on 8
June, the last day of the Think! campaign

Arias & Söebech 101
practicality, it was only valid for one day, and more effort and interest required in
order for people to join the bike trip. Nonetheless, we were happy to have
collaboration with the farmers and to have the bike trip as an additional event. As 8
June was the final day of the campaign, some of our volunteers and others joined the
day in celebration.
- Tom Troonbeeckx (Het open Veld) – Tom has brought a new way of
sustainable farming to Belgium called ‘Community Supported Agriculture’.
Tom sows and cultivates the farm, then his clients go to the farm themselves
and harvest the vegetables to be eaten in the coming days, allowing the
customer to have freshly harvested food at all times. In total, Tom grows
around 50-60 types of food. (See Annex 4)
- Peter Van Vinckenroye (De Wikke) – De Wikke is a part of the 'Wonen en
Werken' a social project established in Leuven. The organic food produced is
used for own consumption, it is sold in the De Wikke shop, and the farm is a
part of the ‘voedselteams’, meaning, they make baskets of fruits and
vegetables that are delivered to locations that those subscribing can pick up.
(See Annex 4)
- Jean Pierre Smets (De Wriemeling) – Jean Pierre started his organic farm
over 20 years ago. He is one of the first organic farmers in Flanders. He has
specialised in rare and old food types and he also grows the seeds, which he
sells to other farmers. At his farm, Jean Pierre grows vegetables that he sells
through 'voedselteams'. He also sells to the larger markets and has his own
shop. (See Annex 4)
- Jan Marteens – Jan Marteens’ farm is located around 15 km north of
Leuven, in a quiet suburban neighbourhood. Jan’s production is small scale,
and not all of his products are organic. His rhubarb is the only certified
organic product. Still, he aims to minimise the environmental harm cause by
his food production. (See Annex 4)
- Werner Dieltjens (De Molentuin) – Over 50 sorts of organic fruits and
vegetables are grown on the Molentuin farm. The farm houses are shared by
several families and the farm looks more like a large garden, full of different
types of plants, vegetables, flowers and fruits. At De Molentuin, people can
come and buy fresh fruits and vegetables newly harvested. (See Annex 4)

Arias & Söebech 102
5.4.1.3 Markets
The markets of Heverlee and Kessel-lo were chosen to hold the Think! campaign in
order to reach specially the target groups of young families and of people aged
between 50-75 years. We had only one partner who was selling her products in
these two markets.
- Moniek Broekx – Moniek works as an independent farmer. Together with
the owners of a farm, Johan and Greet, she grows 40 types of legumes and
small fruits throughout the year. Moniek sells her products at three markets
around the Leuven area; Heverlee, Kessel-lo and Aarschot. On top of that
Moniek also buys from other local farmers, fresh in season organic products
that she sells at the market. (See Annex 4)
5.5 Strategies for raising involvement
In order to raise involvement of the target group, different approaches were used to
present and give information on sustainable food to the group. The website
www.thinkfood.be was created, and for the week of the campaign, personal
communication took place at the various locations in Leuven.
5.5.1 Website
A major part of the Think! campaign was to establish a website with information with
the aim of enhancing understanding and raising involvement. A website has the
possibility of reaching a large number of people, and can provide much information in
one location.
Before starting the work of building a website, extensive research was conducted.
Existing information websites were studied, 249 and important actors viewed. Advice
was taken from the expert interviews, manuals and guidelines, in addition to more
informally seeking opinions of friends and relying on our own judgment. Finally, the
website is based on research on behaviour and approaches aimed at reaching the
specific target group.
Important criteria identified for a good professional website comprised two sections;
the quality of the material on the website and the design and look of the website.
Regarding the material, we tried to present a clear target of the website, correct
educational information with scientific backing and written in an understandable
manner, to provide practical and easy to implement solutions to the identified
249 See Annex 1 for website screening

Arias & Söebech 103
problems and to address the 3 targets groups. Looking at the design, the most
important features that were aimed for include: attractive look and colours, not
overcrowded pages, having a site map, having an interactive feature, regularly
updated, showing the most relevant information on the front page, easy to follow and
including entertainment elements.
Work on the website started in mid March and was officially ready in mid May.
Naturally, improvements were made and material added after this period. The total
amount of pages created was 32, including the home page. Additionally, one sub
page was created in Dutch. The website www.thinkfood.be was created in order to
reach the 3 target groups, informing people about sustainable food in general and
the options (shops, farms and markets) available in Leuven to find these products.
The website was developed mainly in English but it includes some pages in Dutch. It
has five main sections: Sustainable food in general, information on the campaign,
sustainable food in Leuven, children’s section, and contacts and links.
5.5.1.1 Sustainable food in general
A large part of the website is dedicated to providing information on sustainable food,
as well as the implications of non-sustainable food under the section ‘Think! food’.
The concept of sustainable food is complex, and in order to simplify, there are
sections on organic food, local and seasonal food - including a printable season
calendar, ethical food and a section on labels. Additionally, true cost of food and the
problems linked with conventional intensive farming practices are explained, along
with the use of antibiotics, GMOs and nanotechnology. On the front page there is a
link, where people can find a list of 6 easy steps to becoming more sustainable and a
tip of the day. There is also a short movie explaining in short issues relating to food
production, environmental impacts, economic and social impacts, animal welfare and
human health.
In order to make this section of the website, research on each topic was needed.
Information was gathered from official websites, articles and ideas were gathered
from other sustainable food information websites. It proved to be a challenge
combining all the information in a way that our target group could benefit, as the texts
were often complex and scientific. The movie and the 6 steps to become sustainable
were targeted for the people with less time and patience to read, and were made
simple and appealing. The information text was written more to address those

Arias & Söebech 104
interested in gathering deeper understanding and overview, or those seeking specific
information, e.g. on labels.
5.5.1.2 Information on the Campaign
This part was developed for two main purposes. One was to give information on the
campaign itself, to promote it and to keep the campaign alive online at the same time
as in the streets. Secondly, information on why the campaign was being conducted
and background information was added for those interested in knowing more about
the philosophy behind the campaign, adding a slightly personal touch to the website.
The section ‘Think!’ provides information on why the campaign was developed,
statement of the problem and the people behind the campaign. There was also
practical information on the campaign itself, on the thinkcard, coupons and a
campaign programme. On the front page, the target of the campaign is stated.
During the campaign itself, a new page was added: ‘Campaign news’, where after
each day of the campaign, a short description was given, and photos added. This
was done in order to keep people informed about the campaign and reminded that
there were actions going on around Leuven, and to keep the website alive and up to
date. During the campaign week, this page was the most visited on the site.
5.5.1.3 Sustainable food in Leuven
Strongly linked with the information on the campaign, was the more targeted
information for people in Leuven on where they can find sustainable food.
The main section for this part was the ‘Us’ part, where all the think partners were
listed with information on who they are, where they are, how they participated in the
campaign and what they sell. The list covers most of the sustainable small-scale food
retailers/makers in Leuven and includes the product range information, assisting
thereby people in finding the right shop for their needs. In addition to the list, there is
a map that gives a visual image of where the partners are located, and with a click on
the points, one is directed to the individual partner page. On many pages, the think
partners were listed in the right pane, as the partners were an extremely important
part of the whole campaign, and they deserved as much space and coverage on the
website as possible.
Of course, the different parts of the website and the goal of each part overlap. For
example, the season calendar, and campaign news part were also targeted more
specifically to those living or staying in Leuven.

Arias & Söebech 105
5.5.1.4 Children’s section
‘Bananas in Pyjamas’ is the section specifically dedicated for the younger generation
and to make the website more fun and lively. On this page, there are photos of
children and adults with food, eating or making food. People could send in their own
photos relating to food, and they would be inserted in the album. Most of the photos
on the web came from family or friends. However, Bioforum sent several photos that
we added to the page. Another feature allows children to get pictures of the various
fruit and vegetable characters that they can then draw, and if they choose, send back
to us. We received some drawings that were added to the photo album. Finally, two
games were borrowed from ‘Encams’ 250 as we lack the skills to make games
ourselves. Through this fun and entertaining part of the website, the aim was to
reach children, provide information through games and photos, and to make a family
oriented site with something for children and adults in one place.
5.5.1.5 Contacts and links
This part is found mainly under ‘you’ where people can give their feedback, send
comments and questions, and under ‘Think link’, where there are other web pages
where people can find information specifically on Leuven, Flanders, Belgium or
information on specific issues. The ‘you’ part was intended to make the website more
interactive, and to allow people to be more a part of the whole campaign and the
issue. The links are selected links that we found to provide reliable and
comprehensive information, and can be used as a further guide, in the jungle of web
pages. There was always the intention of making a myspace site, and a facebook
site, as many other organisations utilise to reach a larger group of people. However,
time constraints led us to focus on the most urgent and present issues, and on
making www.thinkfood.be as comprehensive as possible. In the future, if the
campaign continues, there are plans to link up with these large interactive websites.
250 “ENCAMS (Environmental Campaigns) is an environmental charity who campaign directly
to the public. We are best known for our Keep Britain Tidy campaign, which has been running
for over fifty years. We try to persuade you to stop dropping litter and put it in a bin”
(Encams).

Arias & Söebech 106
5.5.2 Campaign in different places
From May 31st until June 8th, the think campaign took place in different locations in
Leuven. In order to get the attention of our target groups, we prepared specific
material and developed some activities specially oriented for them.
A poster was designed with the slogan: “denk voor je eet, kies duurzame voiding”
translating to “think before you eat, choose sustainable food”. Our partners received
posters to hang in their shops and others were distributed in the city in the week
before the campaign started.
Flyers were developed using scenes form the cartoon posted on the website, in order
to further link the campaign events with the website, and a map showing the location
of each partner. The flyers were distributed together with the thinkcards.
During the campaign week, 15 volunteers collaborated with us. Before the campaign,
all volunteers received an email with the most relevant information including practical
information on location and travel to Leuven, and what information to give to people
(see Annex 6). Additionally, prior to the campaigning, there was a short ‘training’
each day for new volunteers. Each volunteer received a T-shirt with different slogans
specially designed for the campaign such as: “eat me” and “Think! food.” It was
important to give the t-shirts for two main reasons, namely to have a synchronised
look of all those handing out the material, making the look of the campaign
professional and holistic, and also to reward the volunteers.
The campaign started on 31 May at the Wereldfeest, which is a renowned festival
organised annually in Leuven. The festival started at 13:00 and ended at 20:00
In order to reach the group of young parents, that day we had activities for children
such as face painting and balloons. The main purpose of these activities was to have
time to speak with the parents while their children were participating in these
activities.
Also this day, in order to reach the attention of all 3 target groups, we organised a
potato game. The game consisted of guessing how many organic potatoes were in a
wheelbarrow. The participants wrote their names and the number of potatoes they
thought to be in the wheelbarrow on a paper that we collected. Almost 600 people
took part in the contest and the names of the winners were published on the web
page the following day. This was done for the purpose of making people visit the
website and get involved with all the information provided there regarding sustainable
food consumption. This day 360 thinkcards were given away.

Arias & Söebech 107
The second day of campaign was held in the market of Heverlee, a popular
neighbourhood of Leuven. The market is frequently visited by older people; therefore
this place was selected to reach mainly the target group 50-75 years old people.
However, young families are also frequent shoppers at the market.
Activities such as painting faces and the potato game were also held there and a
total of 90 thinkcards were given away.
The third and fourth days of campaign were conducted in the student restaurants
Alma I and Alma II of the Catholic University of Leuven. There we installed tables
and proceeded to distribute the thinkcards and flyers and try to reach our target
group of university students during their lunch breaks. In these 2 locations, 280 think
cards were given away.
The fifth day was held at Kessel-lo market. This market is located in a residential
neighbourhood of Leuven, where the number new young families has been growing
the past years. In this location we tried to reach 2 groups, young parents and 50-75
years old people. 70 thinkcards were given away this day.
After one day of rest, the seventh day of campaign was held at the train station of
Leuven. This location was chosen because of its advantage of being frequented by a
high number of people, facilitating to reach all our 3 target groups. However, due to
bad weather conditions, this was a short day. 60 thinkcards were given away this
day.
The eighth day of campaign took place in downtown Leuven during the Saturday
market. Here, the aim was to reach the 3 target groups considering that many people
frequent the centre on Saturdays. This day 140 thinkcards were given away,
completing our goal of giving 1000 people a thinkcard.
The last day of the campaign was the 8th of June. This day, we joined a bicycle trip
around 5 organic farmers, organized as a part of the Bioforum’s organic week. The
main idea of the trip was to inform people about organic agriculture in Leuven and to
see were the products available in the stores are coming from and who grows them.
Together with volunteers and others, we visited the 5 farms were also the thinkcard
and the coupons could be used. After the bicycle trip, we celebrated the end of the
campaign at the Wereldcafe. There, we give the prices to the winners of the potato

Arias & Söebech 108
game and enjoyed together with volunteers, partners and winners the end of the
campaign.
5.6 Publicity and Communication
Public relations and advertisement are necessary aspects of reaching attention and
being heard by a broader group. As the success factors identified, ensure
widespread exposure of the message and use the mass media indicate, media
communication and PR activities are extremely important for receiving public
attention.
We deemed this as important as well, however, as our campaign was not specifically
aimed at policy makers or shaming or blaming individual retailers, but to reach the
individual consumer, and due to time constraints, time allocated to PR was limited.
The PR activities were twofold:
- To introduce the project to the sustainable food community within Leuven and
spread the information through their networks
- To reach the mass media and general public
5.6.1 The sustainable community outreach
Our first contact was Bioforum, an umbrella organisation for organic farming and
food, and we arranged a meeting on 28 April, in order to present our project, and
look for assistance in form of collaboration or promotion. Ms. Marianne Vergeyle of
Bioforum was interested in the initiative, and although she found no possibility for
specific collaboration, they were willing to promote the Think! Campaign on the
website of Bioforum and additionally published an article on the campaign in their e-
zine online magazine.
Another organisation that we communicated with was Netwerk Duurzaam Leuven,
or the sustainable network of Leuven. On 20 May, we had a meeting with the
network, where various organisation members were present, including the
municipality of Leuven, and we gave an introduction to our project. The community of
people were enthusiastic about the project and an article on the campaign was
posted on the organisation’s website 251 as well as in their electronic newsletters.
In June, we were contacted by the Vredeseilanden, a Leuven based NGO focusing
on sustainable food, locally and in North-South collaboration. The organisation had
251 Duurzaam Netwerk Leuven.

Arias & Söebech 109
heard of our efforts and was interested in our work that we presented at a meeting.
Additionally, we were contacted by Leuven’s slow food movement for participating in
their planning and activities. Thus, the coverage of the sustainable food community in
Leuven was substantive. Moreover, we were able to use their network, clients and
contacts to promote the Think! Campaign.
5.6.2 Mass media and general public
In order to cover fully the public media, a third person would have been needed, as
this is a full time job. We sent an email to all the main press and radio stations in
Leuven, including the local agendas – Pas-Uit, and Passe Partout, Steps City
Magazine, De Morgen, Radio Scorpio and Vrije Radio Leuven. Unfortunately, we did
not manage to follow up the emails with phone calls and were not successful in
acquiring coverage. Moreover, we used our own networks of people through our
email lists asking them also to forward to those they know. Through the potato game,
a large number of people were attracted to the website. Finally, the Icelandic
national daily newspaper, Morgunblaðið, posted an article on the campaign. Although
not serving specifically the population of Leuven, or the campaign itself, it gave the
project a further international dimension. Gaining media attention requires extensive
work, and in order to be fully successful, a full time effort is required at least 2 weeks
before the event, as well as during.
5.7 Cost
As with public relations and media attention, applying for funding also requires
temporary full time efforts. With limited time, to execute the whole campaign project,
this aspect did not receive a major priority.
We conducted a preliminary budget, and action plan. This we sent to. Guy Capals
who works for UCOS, an environmental NGO linked with the VUB. After a meeting
with him, he had agreed to assist us in searching for funding, as UCOS itself only
had funds for activities directly relating to the university. However, there were no
positive results to his search. We did enquire for funding possibilities at our meetings
with both Bioforum and Netwerk Duurzam Leuven, but without results. Finally, the
budget was revised and all cost came from our personal accounts.
In renewed and final budget, some minor items deemed unnecessary were removed,
while others were added. We searched for ways to do most things ourselves, and
contract friends and family for charity work. However, it remained an important focus

Arias & Söebech 110
to not let the quality of the material drop. The final cost of the whole campaign was
€1421.23, which can be considered very low considering the material created. The
budget went down from €4.487,62 to €1421.23. However, if work hours and outside
assistance such as web building, design work etc. would be calculated in the budget,
the amount would rise significantly.
Table 5. Preliminary budget
Unit
required
Cost per
Unit
Total cost
Material
Flyers 1000 0.27 326.7
Magnets 1000 0.5 605
Posters 100 3.51 424.71
Badges/key rings 1000 0.5 605
Think! card 1000 0.151 182.71
Plastic for thinkcard 1000 0.2 242
Coupons 5000 0.03 181.5
T-shirts for volunteers 20 15 300
Webpage
The website 15
host monthly 6 20 120
Design work
Material for web, flyers, logo etc 1 500 605
Events
Wereldfeest stand 1 15 15
organic wine bottles 30 8 240
Children face paint 10 10 100
crafts for children 100 1 100
Transport
Volunteers Between Leuven and
Brussels
50 4.5 225
Unforeseen cost 1 200 200
TOTAL EUROS 4487.62
Table 6. Final cost
Unit
required
Cost per Unit
Total cost
Material
flyers / posters 1000 / 50 200
thinkcard paper 1000 20
stickers 6000 20
cutter for coupons 3 5 15
bags of envelopes for thinkcards 9 3 27
rolls (1000) Coupons 9 4 36

Arias & Söebech 111
other paper products (for testing) 50
paper cutter 1 45 45
envelopes for coupons- at partners' 18 0.15 2.7
Webpage
the website 1 year $17.49 11.5
monthly hosting 8 $20 103
material for cartoon
pens, paper, glue, plastic sheets... 30
Events
Wereldfeest stand 1 20
t-shirts 27 1.99 - 2.99 69.49
paint, stencils and brush for t-shirts 50
snacks and drinks for volunteers 30
children face paint 10 30
balloons for children 6 2.59 15.54
final celebration - drinks 105
presents for gift baskets 35
Transport
between Leuven and Brussels 50 9 450
to and from Antwerp 2 12.6 25.2
to and from Ghent 2 15.4 30.8
0
TOTAL EUROS 1421.23
5.8 Assessment and results
For assessing the results of the campaign, we will analyse to which level the three
goals stated at the beginning of the campaign process were reached. The three
goals set out with were 1 – to Increase PCE, 2 – to increase people’s perceived
availability and 3- to raise involvement. We used different strategies and actions to
reach these goals, and different indicator to assess the results (se table 4 in section
5.2 above). In many cases, each strategy and following actions serve the purpose of
reaching more than one goal, and they thus overlap. For example, the goal of raising
involvement is also addressed by providing people with a thinkcard (goals 1), and by
providing information of the think partners, (goal 3). For sake of clarity in analysing
the results, the most relevant strategies and actions have been grouped with the
main goal and are described in each section below.
5.8.1 Increasing PCE
In order to increase PCE, people were given the thinkcard as a membership card,
with the intention of providing a feeling of belonging to a community and as a way to

Arias & Söebech 112
enable them to act. In total 1000 thinkcards were given to people, along with an
explanation of its purpose. Out of the 1000 thinkcards, around 92 people used them
with the partners and coupons.
However, this does not give a clear indication whether people’s perception of
belonging to a group increased or not. One feature of the thinkcard, was to make it
attractive in order for people to keep the card for a longer period of time. On the
backside of the card was added a year calendar (2008-2009) and on the front, the
word Think!, Reminding people to think each time they would open their valet, before
making a purchase. At this point, it is not possible to determine whether people kept
their card or not.
In order to have better information of the success of this goal, a dialogue, in the form
of e.g. a questionnaire would have been needed. Additionally, adding a ‘community’
section on the website, where people could sign up would have provided further
information on increase of PCE and possibly provided an added value. Alternatively,
making a facebook and/or myspace website for the campaign adding friends and
building an online network would positively influence our results.
Due to constraints, mainly time related, but also due to lack of technical expertise, we
were not able to create an electronic community in time for the campaign.
5.8.2 Increasing Perceived availability
The main indicator used for assessing the increase of perceive availability, was the
use of the coupons that accompanied the thinkcards. With each thinkcard, there was
included in the same envelope a paper with the list of all the 17 think partners who
provide sustainable food, making it easy for people to locate the places they could go
to. Stapled to the paper were 8 coupons that people could use at any one of the
Think! partners. Provided that a person would purchase something in the store, in
return for a coupon, each partner had a gift for the consumer. Adding the incentive of
a gift served the purpose of making it attractive to try the sustainable shop. With the
1000 thinkcards, were the total of 8000 coupons that were valid from 1 June – 14
June, giving people up to a two week period to use the coupons. Having collected
partners from various areas of Leuven and the surroundings, made it possible for
most people to find a partner located near their households or workplace.
The week before the campaign started, we visited each partner, in order to ensure
that they were aware of the campaign and the process of the thinkcards and
coupons. We gave each partner an envelope with guidelines written on in, where
they could insert the received coupons into. We also gave each partner a few

Arias & Söebech 113
thinkcards that they themselves could use, or give to their employees. At the end of
the validity period we collected a total of 155 coupons from our partners. As
expected, the numbers varied from place to place. As was predicted for the farmers,
providing one day of opportunity for using the coupons, and requiring effort of
travelling, the collected coupons from all of them totalled 7. There was a problem at
two of the farms, where the system of the coupons was not understood. They did
receive coupons, but did not keep them or provide a gift. One reason for this
misunderstanding was that the farmers organising the day also had a game where
people had to show a different brochure. As we were not in charge of organising the
bicycle tour, we could not avoid this problem. However, clearer and more direct
communication with each farmer should have avoided this problem. The low number
of coupons collected from the farmers is not an indication of failure or making their
inclusion in the campaign of lower value. The main purpose of the farmer’s inclusion
had also been to raise involvement, and create a broader and more dynamic twist to
the campaign. Thus the use of the coupons for the farmers was secondary. The
focus for the use of the coupons was rather intended for the shops, where people
could find a shop, and afterwards return, without the incentive of the gift, providing
people with the information to locate the availability of sustainable food products.
Coupons collected from shops, and from Moniek in the markets was 148 coupons.
The number of coupons between the shops also varied, and there may be various
reasons for that. The Origin’O and Biotoop received the highest number of coupons
or 36 and 24 respectively. These two shops, although different in style, are both
established and well placed in the centre. The gift of the Biotoop was also the
largest, or a reusable cotton bag with several products inside. The three Oxfam
Wereldwinkels located around the centre, also received a fairly high amount of
coupons (47), whereas the three further away had a much lower number combined
(8). De Karwij received 7 coupons. This is a fairly high number, considering that the
shop is not located in the centre, or close to where the campaigning events took
place and the shop has a more specific/narrower product range than the other shops.
As for the Coop-Wereldcafe, only 5 coupons were received despite the fact that the
café is well established and located downtown. One probable reason is that in order
to receive the free gift (a drink), people had to buy a meal for at least €8, which
limited the usefulness of the coupon. See further details on the distribution of
coupons between partners in table 7 below.

Arias & Söebech 114
Table 7. The number of coupons collected from each partner
Partner
Number of coupons
De Karwij 7
Origin'o 36
Coop 5
Veeakker 8
Biotoop 24
Oxfam Kessel-lo 12
Oxfam Leuven 18
Oxfam Heverlee 18
Oxfam Wilsele 6
Oxfam Wijgmal 2
Oxfam He rent 0
Moniek 13
Jean Pierre 3
Werner 4
Tom 0
Jan 0
Peter 0
Total 155
Based on these numbers, we can see that the location of the partners is an important
factor. The shops closest to the centre and to the consumers are more likely to be
used. Additionally, setting a restriction on the use of a coupon, may lead to lower
usage.
In order to identify the most successful venues for reaching people, we used different
coloured coupons for the days of campaigning. However, as there were occasions
where we ran out of thinkcards with coupons of a certain colour, or in case we did not
finish cards with a certain colour, there were occasions where the same colour was
used for more than one day. Thus for some of the colours, no concrete conclusions
can be made. Nonetheless, there are strong indicators to be found.
Table 8. The colours of coupons used on different days
Date Location Colour
Prior to campaign & 31 Wereldfeest, partners, volunteers, and
May
other
light blue
31-May Wereldfeest light pink
31-May Wereldfeest dark pink
31 May & 4 June Wereldfeest - Kessel-Lo dark orange
1-June Heverlee green
2-June Alma 1 pale yellow
3-June Alma II medium orange
4 June & 6 June Kessel-lo Market - station pale orange
7-June Saturday Market grey

Arias & Söebech 115
The coupons collected gave an indication of where each thinkcard had been
received. The most frequent colours found were the light blue and the dark orange.
The dark orange was handed out with the thinkcards at the Wereldfeest, but also at
the Kessel-lo market. The light blue was used at the Wereldfeest, but thinkcards with
light blue coupons were also given to partners, volunteers and informally to people
prior to the campaign. Therefore, it is not possible to allocate the success of these
used thinkcards to one location. Nonetheless, noting that both light pink and dark
pink, colours only distributed at the Wereldfeest, were also used often, we can
conclude that the Wereldfeest was one of the highest success days of the campaign.
Table 9. Number of coupons used based on colour and date
Date Colour No. coupons
Prior to campaign & 31
May
light blue 32
31-May light pink 18
31-May dark pink 28
31 May & 4 June dark orange 31
1-June green 19
2-June pale yellow 6
3-June medium orange 9
4- June & 6 June pale orange 5
7-June grey 7
total 155

Arias & Söebech 116
Figure 5. A pie chart showing the distribution of collected coupons relative to
days distributed
Colors of coupons and places were the
Thinkcampaign was held
6%
3%
5%
20%
Wereldfeest, partners,
volunteers, and other
4%
Wereldfeest
Wereldfeest
12%
12%
Wereldfeest - Kessel-Lo
Heverlee
Alma 1
Alma II
20%
18%
Kessel-lo Markt - station
Saturday market
Analysing further the data of the coloured coupon versus the days used, we took
both the lowest possible success of the day, as well as the highest. For example for
the Wereldfeest, the lower limit was calculated by using only the light pink and the
dark pink coupons, whereas the upper limit was calculated by adding all the light
pink, dark pink, light blue and dark orange coupons together. In order to calculate the
relative success of the day, both the lower and upper limits were compared with the
number of thinkcards distributed that day, and presented as a percentage.
Table 10. The possible usage of coupons compared to days distributed
Date
Number of
cards
distributed
Coupons
lower limit
Coupons
upper limit
% of cards
compared to
lower limit
% of cards
compared to
upper limit
31- May 360 46 109 12.8% 30.3%
1-Jun 90 19 19 21.1% 21.1%
2-Jun 155 6 6 3.9% 3.9%
3-Jun 125 9 9 7.2% 7.2%
4-Jun 70 0 36 0.0% 51.4%
6-Jun 60 0 5 0.0% 8.3%
7-Jun 140 7 7 5.0% 5.0%

Arias & Söebech 117
Looking at the data in table 10, there is a relatively clear differentiation between the
most successful days and the least successful days. The highest number of
coupons and the highest relative percentage come from the Wereldfeest on 31 May
and the Heverlee Market on 1 June. There is a high uncertainty regarding the
Kessel-lo market, as the coupons handed out this day were also handed out on other
days. Potentially, this was also a successful day. The two student restaurants (2 and
3 June), the train Station and the Saturday market all show a much lower use of
coupons.
When combined with personal experience of each day, the attitude of the people
talked with, their responsiveness and positive experiences, we can also infer that 31
May, 1 June and 4 June were the most successful days. At the two student
restaurants, people rarely stopped to ask for more information, there was a large
amount of people rushing in and out of the restaurant doors in the span of a short
time, and therefore, explanation of the concept was minimal. As for the train station,
people were also rushing, we did not have a set stand, and it was raining heavily.
Again, this day, the interest seemed low. As we noticed this, we stopped distributing
thinkcards after 60 had been distributed. Looking at the Saturday 7 June, there was a
broad spectrum of people, and level of interest varied. It was raining slightly, and
therefore long talks were not well perceived. Additionally, general fatigue made us
and our volunteers perhaps less energetic than the previous days. The atmosphere
was notably different on the other days, especially on 31 May and 1 June. There was
good weather, the campaign was fresh and new, and in addition to the standard
campaign, the potato game was there to attract people, and the painting of faces,
giving us the opportunity to speak more and invoke curiosity and interest.
Looking at the target groups, the Wereldfeest is a place likely to attract people with
relative or high interest in social and environmental matters. There were a number of
other stands of environmentally and socially oriented NGO’s, life world music and
products and food sold from various places in the world. The people going to this
festival, and moreover to our stand are likely to be more inclined towards being open
to the idea of sustainable food consumption. The Heverlee market as well as the
Kessel-lo market attracts people from the neighbourhood, and one can already
assume that generally, their awareness of the importance of supporting local is to
some degree developed. Additionally, in between the conventional food stands, there
are few organic stands, including our partner Moniek. The number of young family
people and people aged 50-75 frequenting these markets, made it also an ideal

Arias & Söebech 118
place for us to do the campaign. Reaching the university student target group was
not successful, and apparently this type of campaign did not manage to reach them.
Perhaps the location, a low price cafeteria selling conventional food, or the time,
beginning of June and exams around the corner, had an influence. As for the train
station and the Saturday market, which is not a food market, the population was too
diverse and random, and people in a hurry. These aspects led the campaign to miss
mark.
Lastly, based on the data and illustrated in table 11, we looked at how often each
card was used, and thereby how many cards were used at least once. As the
coupons were numbered, we could detect, by coupons of same colour, and in
consecutive number, were likely to be from the same thinkcard. However, there are
uncertainties. For example, a light blue coupon number 88 and light blue coupon
number 89 are likely to be from the same card, and listed as such in our data.
However, number 88 might be the last coupon on one card, and 89 the first number
on another card. Another uncertainty factor is when there is 1 number missing in
between. While making the thinkcards and coupons, some coupons were damaged
and not included. Additionally, people may have misplaced one coupon.
Nonetheless, when one or more numbers were missing in between, we counted
them as separate cards.
Table 11. Number of coupons versus number of cards used
Colour No. coupons No. cards
No. cards used
>1
% cards used >1
light blue 32 20 7 35.0
light pink 18 9 5 55.6
dark pink 28 11 5 45.5
dark orange 31 19 5 26.3
green 19 11 5 45.5
pale yellow 6 4 1 25.0
medium orange 9 8 1 12.5
pale orange 5 4 1 25.0
grey 7 6 1 16.7
Total 155 92 31 33.7
Although not with complete accuracy, we can estimate that around 92 out of the
1000, or a little over 9% of cards given were used. Additionally we can see that the
cards given at the places with highest success were also used more frequently than
the other venues. One explanation can be that the cards were valid until 14 June,
giving those who received their card on 31 May and 1 June a longer period to use

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the card than for example those receiving the card on 7 June. Another likely
explanation is that at the Wereldfeest, Heverlee market and Kessel-lo market, we
reached people with higher interest and willingness to purchase sustainably, and
thus more willing to use the card more frequently.
5.8.3 Raising involvement
Raising involvement was a major part of the Think! Campaign! and various methods
used increase awareness and raise involvement of consumers. The website was the
main instrument for this purpose and the main indicator for the results was the
number of visits to the site.
5.8.3.1 Website
www.thinkfood.be was formally up and running on 15 May. Due to technical
difficulties, we were only able to track visits from 3 June. From 3 June until 7 July
total new visitors counted 145, with the total of 745 visits. Based on estimates, we
can assume that around 400-450 people visited the website from the 15 May- 3
June. This estimation is based on two key factors: the mass email sending at the
opening of the website (approximately 1000 emails sent) and the potato game
conducted on 31 May and 1 June. Around 600 people participated in the game and
the winners names were solely posted on the website. Out of seven winners posted,
at least four went on the website and replied to us by email. This counts for over 57%
of the posted winners, not only going on the website, but also confirming that they
would pick up their prize a week later. Thus we can make a rough estimate that
around 57% of all participants, visited the website, or 342 people. Additionally, we
assume that 100 or 10% of the people emailed opened the link to our website.
Based on the data collected for 3 June – 7 July, the highest amount of visits were
during the week of the campaign (31 May-8June) with the highest number of new
visitors on 5 June, or 47 people, and the highest number of hits on 6 June with 137
visits. The days following the campaign also showed high activity, but from 11 June a
sharp decrease, continuing to fall until 14 June. Since then the visits to the website
have been at a stable number, with the average of 6 visitors per day. With 145 new
visitors during the tracking period, and 745 visits, we can estimate that each visitor
looked at the web on average 5 times or viewed 5 different pages.

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Figure 6.Visits to www.thinkfood.be
source: www.truecounter.net
The tracked data, combined with the estimated visitors, indicates that between 545-
595 different people viewed www.thinkfood.be between 15 May and 7 July this year.
From the data analysis, we could also detect the country of visitors. The vast majority
of visits during the tacking period were from Belgium, or 631, indicating that the page
reached mostly to people in the area of the campaign. Additionally, the page was
viewed internationally, receiving visitors from 15 other countries in 4 continents. The
countries visiting were Iceland, Romania, The United States, Ecuador, France,
Estonia, Spain, the UK, Portugal, Austria, Ireland, Malaysia, Japan, Germany and
Canada. This indicates the great advantage and opportunity the internet can provide.
Figure 7. Visits from different countries
www.truecounter.net

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On the website, we also posted the short movie that we made for the campaign. We
used www.youtube.com to upload the movie and through a link we were able to
show it directly from our website, in addition to having it posted on this world known
media website. According to www.youtube.com, the movie has been viewed 263
times since the day it was uploaded until 7 July.
Figure 8. A clip from the Think! movie
Based on these results, the website, the movie and the information, practical advice
and guidelines provided on the website has reached a number of people and can be
considered a significant factor of the campaign in raising people’s involvement.
Without the website, it would not have been possible to get across the amount of
information or material that the website holds, nor would we have been able to reach
the few in far away countries. The website could of course have been further
exploited as the information on it is not only directed to the population of Leuven or
even Belgium. For that, further promotional efforts would be needed and linkage with
known networking websites such as facebook and myspace. Finally, translating more
of the pages to Dutch would be beneficial to the Leuven consumer. Nonetheless, the
front page and all the partner pages have a Dutch version.

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5.8.3.2 Campaigning events
Another aspect of raising involvement was the campaigning events in Leuven from
31 May – 8 June. We made 50 posters that were hung up around the City of Leuven,
at the Think! partners’ shops and around our stands. At the same time as the 1000
people were given the thinkcard with coupons, they were also handed a flyer with
information on the main issues relating to sustainable food and locations of our
partners who provide sustainable food. More importantly, each person was stopped
and provided with basic information. The information varied depending on the person
and his/her interest. Minimal information given was a short introduction to the
campaign, what it was all about, the explanation of the thinkcard, the 17 partners and
most of the time, explaining the bicycle trip to the five organic farms on the final day.
This was the case for the majority of the interaction. Some conversations included
explaining the whole concept of the campaign and the background of it, whereas
others resulted in a dialogue on the concept of sustainable food. There was a great
variation to the interest of the people spoken too.
We also encountered the situation where people would sway around the stand, try to
avoid eye contact or frankly tell us they were not interested before we could speak.
Only very rarely did a person decline a thinkcard after having been introduced to the
concept, although it did occur. We also encountered surprisingly frequently that
people asked the price of the card, or how much money we were asking for.
By giving the people the thinkcard as a present, along with pleasant events such as
painting faces of children, giving balloons and making the potato game, the aim was
to encourage people to on one hand talk to us, and moreover, to make it a pleasant
experience for them. The main strategy was to use positive encouragement, and
providing solutions rather than focusing on the problems.
The different locations and different activities served to address the three identified
target groups. The potato game was a great success. With around 600 people
participating in guessing how many potatoes were in the wheelbarrow, people were
attracted to our stand and it evoked curiosity. The bicycle trip had also a double
intention, having a fun healthy day in nature on bicycles, and visiting organic farmers
who had prepared a presentation of their farm. Unfortunately not many people
participated in the organised tour. We do not know how many took an individual
bicycle trip to the farms, which was also an option.

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A problem encountered was the amount of information we wanted to share. For most
people, the basic information was all that we could fit in without confusion. Thus,
after trying different approaches, focusing on the partners and the thinkcards was the
choice opted for.
In general, reaching out to 1000 people on the streets, with various means, and
receiving in many cases positive feedback from people who gladly accepted the
thinkcard was a factor of success in raising involvement.
Finally, with 15 volunteers, who some come from an environmental background, but
not all, and none of them with a focus on sustainable food consumption, the
campaign participation raised their awareness and involvement significantly.
5.9 Barriers – setbacks
The language was a limiting factor during the campaign. Dutch is the official
language in Leuven and when campaigning we tried to give the message in that
language. However, we received the help of volunteers coming from different
countries and only a few of them that could speak the language. Although some
material like posters and flyers were in Dutch, the language was a barrier to reach
more people from all the target groups especially the group aged to 50-75 years.
The limited budget was also a barrier to get the campaign well publicised. We did not
have budget for advertising and the number of flyers, poster and thinkcards was
limited. Another setback was that we could not hire a web designer with expertise on
web building and skills in developing the most appealing look of the website. With
help of friends from this field, we did get a result that was sufficient. However, hiring
an expert would have been ideal. Without outside help, the workload to build the
website was very long, it increased the workload for this specific part of the campaign
significantly and limited time for other aspects. Also, due to our limited budget we
could not develop more detailed activities focused to reach the target groups.
Although we selected the locations for campaigning considering our target groups,
some of them were not de adequate ones. Such is the case of the locations of the
student restaurants Alma I, and Alma II selected for the target group of university
students where some inconveniences like the short time students take for lunch,

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made difficult to explain the whole concept. Communicating everything that we had
intended to explain such as the concept of sustainable food, the 17 partners, the
bicycle trip and the thinkcard and coupons was only possible with the most interested
people, with time on their hands and this was a vast minority. Additionally, the timing
for reaching this target group was far from being ideal, as students were preoccupied
with their examinations in June.
Time was also a limiting factor to elaborate the campaign leaving us to have to focus
only on the most important issues and neglecting perhaps funding and mass media
coverage search.
The different level of involvement of partners and communication obstacles with
some of them could have affected, to some extend, the quality of the campaign.
There were inconveniences with some partners at the moment of collecting the
coupons and some of them could be lost. Also, the different kind of gifts varied
significantly between each partner and that could have disappointed some
customers, and left the incentive insufficient. We had also low responses to emails
and requests from some of the partners, making the coordination with them
challenging.
Weather was also a limiting factor for the results of the campaign. In general we had
good weather during the campaign with the exception of the 2 days when it rained
substantially and attracting the attention of people those days was difficult. In
general, in good weather, people were willing to stop and they were more positive
and in a good mood to receive the information.
5.10 Campaign conclusions & recommendations
Target groups
• Segmenting the population in three groups considering some events of live as
windows of opportunity, such as the birth of a child, moving to a new place
and retirement was useful for the development of the campaign. Specific
activities could be developed targeting each group and avoiding falling into
the trap of projecting messages during the campaign to people that are
unsuitable to them. Also, specific locations where the different groups could
be approached were selected. However, according to the results, the target

Arias & Söebech 125
group of university students was not reached appropriately during the
campaign. Two specific locations Alma I and Alma II were selected specially
for this group; however, the number of coupons recollected from these
specific days reflects a low level of participation from this group. There are
many possible reasons for that such as the fact that we did not prepare any
specific activity in those locations to receive their attention. Also the time for
lunch is normally short and people those days were in a hurry making difficult
to explain the whole concept, for that reason we just could give the thinkcards
and flyers with a short explanation. In addition, the campaign week coincided
with the exams preparation period of the students, so they possible could not
manage to use the coupons during those weeks.
• Within the three target groups (young parents, university students and people
aged 50-75 years old), there were to be found people with a different level of
motivation ranging from no interest in sustainability issues, to low interest, to
medium or high interest and then to extremely high awareness and motivation
to act. According to the results, between 60-82% of the total of coupons
recollected came from the Wereldfeest, Kessel-lo and Heverlee market,
places likely to be frequented mainly by people with medium or high interests
in sustainable issues. Such as the case of people going to the market
because they want to support local and seasonally food or people going to
the Wereldfeest because they want to support the north-south actions like
fair-trade. Considering that low amount of coupons were recollected from the
restaurants Alma I and Alma II, the train station, and the downtown area,
places that are frequented by all kinds of people with different levels of
interest in sustainable issues, we can suggest that the campaign reached the
people from the three target groups who have at least a medium interest in
sustainable issues.
• In order to successfully reach people with low or no interest, different types of
actions are needed. For these people, direct “choice editing” by government
or companies via regulations could be an option. One way of implementing
choice editing is for example, voluntary removal by industry or retailers, of all
unsustainable or less sustainable products and providing in their place a wide
range of sustainable products and services in all price ranges. This action
could directly shift the field of choice for consumers towards real sustainable

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products. The social norms and values, would in this case possibly follow at a
later point.
Strategies to increase perceived consumer effectiveness (PCE)
• We could not estimate if the campaign could increase the perceived
consumer effectiveness (PCE) of the people who received the think card.
Even when 92 thinkcards were used, we could not know if people having the
thinkcard felt that their individual choice when buying in those places
contributes to some extent to change the actual environmental and social
problems regarding to unsustainable consumption. In order to have better
information of the increase of PCE, a dialogue, in the form of a questionnaire
could have been be used. Additionally, it is important to consider the use of
website communities and online networks such as facebook or myspace
where people can be motivated through examples exposed on the networks
and fell that they are part of something big. Although many awareness raising
campaigns initiated by governments make use of a questionnaire before and
after the initiatives, it was neither possible, due to lack of capacity, nor
feasible for this campaign. As people are regularly approached to conduct
questionnaires, and are in general subject to many disturbances in their
everyday life. Therefore, we decided not to engage in additional
questionnaires for those receiving thinkcards, as we wanted it to be a
pleasant and non-intrusive experience for people to get our gift.
• We had limitations regarding the potential uses of the thinkcard. In order to
make feel people as a part of a big movement and that their individual actions
can contribute to substantial changes, the thinkcard should be usable in other
activities and for a longer period of time. 252
Strategies to increase consumer perceived availability
• Making partners who sell sustainable food more visible in Leuven was a
strategy to increase consumer perceived availability. 17 partners joined the
campaign; these included 11 shops, 5 farmers and one farmer selling her
products directly at the local markets. In total, we contacted 24 prospective
252 An example of a bonus card that is usable over a long time and for various different
consumption needs, e.g. organic food, public transport and museums, is the Nu-spaarpas
pilot project, that ran in Rotterdam, The Netherlands from 2002-2004 (Nu-Spaarpas).

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partners. Thus our success on gathering partners was very high, over 70% of
those contacted, agreed to participate.
• Highlighting the histories of the partners and making people use the coupons
in the shops, farms and markets we could stress and demonstrate the
availability of sustainable products in Leuven. Informing about the partners
with flyers, website, and providing people with a map with the exact location
of the partner, made it easy for consumers to take the steps to go and visit
the place were sustainable food is offered, and to discover in that way all the
variety of sustainable products available in Leuven. A total of 155 coupons of
around 92 thinkcards were used, representing over 9% of the total distributed.
Considering similar initiatives made in this, where the target of reaching
around 10% is the often the upper level reached, we can conclude that 9%
obtained in the Think! campaign is a satisfactory percentage. Especially when
considering the fact that this was a small scale project, compared to full
fledged campaigns that receive government support and media coverage. 253
• The level of communication with the different partners varied. According to
our experiences, reaching a partner early in the process, made them more
involved and the whole communication was ‘smoother’. Still, other factors,
such as genuine interest in the project, and viewpoints, as well as personal
characteristics of the partners (e.g. good communication with Jean Pierre
despite late entry and limited communication) are a significant factor. In
general, small shops, run by the owner lead to a more direct level of
communication and involvement, and ‘avoids miscommunication and ‘thinning
out’. Keeping a good communication, understanding the viewpoint as well as
history of a partner is essential for creating good collaboration.
• In general, not many people used their thinkcard during the bike tour to the
farmers, and participation in the trip was below expectation. However, the
event and collaboration with the farmers strengthened the campaign as an
event, and gave a good conclusion. Additionally, although not many people
253 An example is the German Bonus card, umwelt.plus.karte, that works as a discount card in
Heidelberg, Germany. Out of an extensive publicity targeted at 22.000 households, only
1.300 people own a umwelt.plus.karte, and out of those, 8.9% use the cad regularly, and a
higher percentage uses the card sometimes( Umwelt.plus.karte).

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did the whole bike trip, there were many people visiting each farm. We cannot
make any estimation of how many of them were people that found out about
the farms from the Think! campaign. Additionally, this was a great success for
the campaign, as we went from one partner to five in short time and we
managed o work with producers of food as well as with those selling it.
• The shops that joined the campaign were of different size and scale, and the
communication varied. It was clear that the smaller shops, run and managed
by the owner were easier to communicate with. There were two small organic
shops, one larger shop that is a part of a Belgian chain, one sustainable meat
shop, one café, run by a group of people and employed mainly by volunteers
and then all the six Oxfam Wereldwinkels in the Leuven area, that are also
employed by a large number of volunteers. The broad scope of shops served
well the purpose of the thinkcard, making it appealing to the different
consumers. Each partner added value to the campaign
• Moniek, our only partner from the two markets, collected 13 coupons for the
campaign. She claimed happy with the development of all material, quality
and organisation, and was an enthusiastic partner. Seeing as only 2 out of
the 3 market she sells at are within Leuven, and thus, the only availability to
reach her were 5 days in total, the number of coupons is relatively high.
Having a partner with ideas, feedback and assistance also gave motivation
and energy for the work to be done.
• Another option, not implemented in this campaign, but worth considering is
working with partners along the supply chain. For example, if suppliers would
donate a present to the shop, the retailer would bear less cost, and the
supplier would have an increased visibility with the retailer. This could lead to
a more substantial campaign, giving also suppliers a message, and in a way
influencing their product line towards more sustainable products, given that
there would be increased sales of these products. Finally, by working along
the supply chain, visibility and communication between the different actors
and levels could be enhanced.

Arias & Söebech 129
Strategies for raising involvement
• According to the results, the website www.thinkfood.be created as a strategy
for raising involvement, received a good number of visit between 15 May and
7 July this year. People also reacted positively to the information posted
there, and we received their feedback and comments through one specific
section on the web called “you”. Therefore we can conclude that internetbased
tools such as websites can play an important role in developing public
awareness of environmental and social issues and should be further used in
awareness raising campaigns. An important factor to be considered when
making a website, is that there is a perceived overflow of information. By
screening a number of websites, and finding what factors aid in making the
website as effective and pleasant as possible, the website can become much
more helpful to its visitors.
• Almost all the information posted on the web was in English with few
exceptions in Dutch, and that could be a limitation to get more people from
Leuven involved. However, an advantage of using English for the website
was that it received not only visitors from Belgium, but also from different
countries, reaching in this way also people out of our target group.
• The information video made for the campaign received also a good number of
visits, helping in this way to spread the word about sustainable food
consumption. Animated movies can play an important role in raising
involvement in sustainable issues, such as the cases of the American videos
“The story of stuff” 254 and Sierra Club’s “True cost of food” 255 which are
impressive, yet simple animated videos that are receiving huge worldwide
attention. The potential of using animated videos for sustainable consumption
should be further explored.
254 Annie Leonard’s ‘Story of stuff’ received over 3 million views in its first 6 months and has
won the telly award and the SXSW! web award (Annie Leonard’s Story of Stuff).
255 Sierra Club.

Arias & Söebech 130
• Making different activities in the city to receive the attention of our target
groups was also a strategy for raising involvement. Moving around the city
with different and focused activities made our campaign known. However, the
lack of mass media coverage of the events was a weakness in order to get
more people involved. When doing an event like this, mass media coverage
must be ensured.
• Another important point for getting the campaign known and spreading the
word in Leuven was making contact with local organisations such as
Bioforum and Netwerk Duurzame Leuven, and also contacting similar
initiatives and relevant people working in the field, for advice and support.
Numerous opportunities can arise from the involvement of local organisations
and community groups in the early stage of a campaign. The interest of these
organisations, in addition to a sustainable food NGO in Leuven contacting us
for further communication, Vredseilanden, gives an indication of the credibility
of the campaign, and shows that there is both interest and need for further
knowledge base on sustainable food consumption related awareness raising
initiatives.

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Box 4. Success factors based on the Think! campaign
Success factors in developing the pilot campaign in a nutshell
• A good background knowledge of the subject matter
• A good identification of the target groups
• Clear goals and indicators to measure effectiveness
• A good identification of locations for campaigning where the target groups
could be reached
• Early stage involvement of a mixed group of partners, good communication
with them during the whole process and constant feedback
• Keeping the number of partners at a manageable size
• Working with small-scale local partners who have good and interesting stories
• Providing reliable information on the scientific basis in a colloquial and easy
way for people to understand it
• Using internet-based tools such as a website with interactive sections and
informative video
• Having diverse and eye-catching material like posters, flyers, t-shirts, stickers,
balloons
• Providing incentives and organising focused and entertainment activities for
people in order to get their attention
• Providing practical solutions and guidance
• Being open to ideas from partners and others
• Networking with local organisations, community groups and contacting similar
initiatives and relevant people working in the field, for advice, and support,
helped in raising acceptance of partners and credibility of project

Arias & Söebech 132
6 Discussion and recommendations
The problems of the current consumption practices, especially in the ‘Western
Countries’, and the trend of continuingly increasing levels of material consumption
are well established and recognised. Current international and national strategies
adopted in order to reach sustainable consumption and production, are mainly
focused on the eco-efficiency of production methods, and the use of market
instruments for shifting production patterns and greening markets. Tackling
consumer behaviour and the problems of over-consumption is minimal. Institutional
changes or changes of the economically dominant ‘free’ market system remain
unchallenged. There is a noticeable lack of strategies that challenge the assumptions
of economic systems based on material growth and strategies that could create ways
for shifting from material-intensive consumer culture to a society with less
materialistic aspirations. 256
SC policies tend to be ‘soft’ demand-based policies, and as such, the “green” and
“ethical” consumers, also called “sustainable consumers” are the driving force of
market transformation, and they are expected to demand sustainably produced
goods and to exercise consumer choice to send market signals. 257 However, the
evidence base regarding behavioural change confirms that consumers are effectively
locked-in to particular consumption patterns that are unsustainable, which occurs in
part due to the overarching social structures of the market, economic constraints,
institutional barriers, and social and cultural norms. This leaves a small opportunity
for consumers to act and influence the transformation of the market, and surely,
standing alone, they will not reach a critical mass, that would be capable of bringing
about radical shifts in consumption practices.
However, within this small opportunity, there is still the possibility to act and change
unsustainable consumption patterns of consumers. The use of information
instruments such as awareness raising campaigns, in collaboration with other
instruments, can play an important role in persuasion. By providing information and
raising awareness, the importance of consuming more sustainably is stressed and
consumers are given appropriate skills and competencies to act. Additionally, in
256 Mont and Plepys 2008.
257 Seyfang 2005

Arias & Söebech 133
combination with enabling conditions and incentives, a potentially larger part of the
population can be engaged to take action.
Information instruments and awareness raising campaigns have been developing
and continue to aim for higher effectiveness. In this research, literature research and
the advice of four expert interviewees, led to the identification of 61 success factors
for awareness raising campaigns (see table 3). These 61 factors were grouped into
12 main categories called “Key success factors of behaviour change campaigns”
(see box 3) and explored in the pilot campaign Think!.
The campaign took most of the identified success factors into account, as far as they
were relevant to the subject of the campaign. A special focus was given to the main
barriers for behaviour change towards sustainable consumption and three goals
were established with the aim of helping consumers to overcome these: to increase
perceived consumer effectiveness PCE, to increase perceived availability and to
raise involvement. The main strategies of the campaign to reach these goals, were
the development of the think card and coupons that could be used for obtaining a gift
in several places that sell sustainable food, and the creation of an informative
website. A total of 17 partners joined the campaign; these included 11 shops, 5
farmers and one farmer selling her products directly at the local markets. Informing
about the partners and the benefits of sustainable food with flyers, website, and
providing people with a map with the exact location of the partners, made it easy for
consumers to take the first step to go and visit the place were sustainable food is
offered. A total of 155 coupons of around 92 thinkcards were used, representing over
9% of the total distributed; and also a good number of visits to the website indicates
that people were interested in the topic.
By conducting a pilot campaign based on all criteria of success feasible, and by
building on success stories, the campaign managed to reach a little over 9%
participation from the population reached out to. This is a similar percentage as for
many of the larger scale campaigns reviewed. It is likely, the Think! campaign
reached mainly people that are already, to a degree, motivated to buy sustainable
food, and that the campaign reinforced and promoted further their sustainable
ambitions.
Therefore, we can suggest that encouraging people to think about the environmental
and social impacts of their behaviour, making them reflect upon the difference they

Arias & Söebech 134
can make through their consumption patterns and giving them an incentive to make
the first steps towards a sustainable consumption are important and necessary
approaches on a journey towards sustainable consumption. This approach has the
potential to further people’s commitment and actions towards more sustainable
lifestyles. However, information and awareness raising efforts cannot be considered
sufficient as a stand-alone instrument for addressing the problems of consumption.
Administrative, economic and informational policy instruments should act in concert.
Based on the research, the types of campaigns, their participants and scope are of
considerable variety.
Evidence shows that one of the most active actors for increasing awareness,
influencing higher level of sustainable consumption and encouraging reduction of
consumption levels are NGOs. There is an immense array of grassroots
organisations with a range of community initiatives working to challenge existing
practices. However, they lack the power of international institutions, making their
contribution towards sustainable consumption still not enough to curve the tide.
There is still room for more involvement of NGOs, providing that transparency and
credibility of the NGOs are secured.
The retail sector is also very important to SCP and enhancing the potential and
positive impacts of making retailers greener should be emphasised. Retailers should
be helped to green their shops. Their potential benefits of reaching a new growing
market segment, gain competitive advantage, gain a guaranteed and loyal customer
base, avoiding future liability cases based on unsustainable or unsafe products and
enhancing their company image should be highlighted. In order to realise the
potential of retailers in SC practices, some major barriers need to be overcome.
These include lack of consumer demand for sustainable products and services, lack
of priority of retailers given to the subject, as other marketing aspects are regarded
more important, lack of interest of management team, unstable reliability of supply of
green products and lack of understanding and clear definition of a sustainable
product.
In general, campaigns are increasingly taking on more collaborative forms, meaning
that NGOs governments and business, all being important players in consumption
and production cycles, and influential actors in society, are working together to reach
consumers. This collaborative approach is generally recommended, as long as all
participants are committed and subject of the campaign relevant to all of them.

Arias & Söebech 135
Evidence gathered on behaviour for this research highlights the complexity of
reaching consumers with voluntary instruments such as awareness raising
campaigns.
A change requires a combination of measures aimed at removing obstacles, in order
to create opportunities and measures for creating incentives, as well as steps
intended to create commitment in these issues. 258
People in their role as consumers are in a position to influence, to some extend, the
sustainability of their lifestyles and even the market. This should not be over- or
underestimated, but viewed as a part of a solution, based on comprehensive
approaches. Awareness raising campaigns as well as other voluntary instruments
must take consumers’ behaviour as it is as a starting point, and not how consumers’
behaviour could be. Understanding what stands in the way of people’s action and
removing barriers while at the same time, engaging, enabling and inspiring people is
the most feasible way to successfully influence consumer behaviour.
Current policy strategies and instruments can be considered as an important starting
point towards sustainable consumption. However, such strategies are founded upon
a belief of a necessary economic growth “green growth” which implies still the
increasing of final consumption. Evidence has been clear regarding to the necessity
of not only “greening the markets” but also reducing consumption volumes and,
unfortunately, there is a lack of strategies conceiving this last approach in current
policy frameworks. The main reason is that this approach, of reducing overall
consumption levels, threatens many political and commercial interests, especially
those of the powerful international institutions. Nonetheless, there is the urgency of
implementing also strategies that tackle over-consumption, and the social norms
created around the materialistic consumer society that has been created over time.
It is clear that collective efforts are needed in order to shift towards sustainable
consumption. Governments and inter-governmental institutions, businesses, NGOs,
and consumers must work together bearing in mind a multi-stakeholder approach to
bring about policy change, accelerate the demand for green products and encourage
the reduction of levels of material consumption.
It takes a long time to build up an evidence base, to understand consumers,
systems, motivators, barriers and how to most effectively lead society towards a
more sustainable path. Today, much evidence has been collected, and
258 Think Twice 2005

Arias & Söebech 136
understanding of how consumers act and how to influence change is at a relevantly
high level. It is therefore important to take advantage of all the work that has been
done in the past decades, and to continue to build on those.
Behaviour changes will not happen over night, social norms, habits and lifestyle
changes do take time. Awareness raising campaigns do help in influencing people,
informing them and keep many important consumption related topics in the limelight.
It is difficult to assess the exact impact of awareness raising campaigns, as a number
of factors can influence people.
We therefore recommend that awareness raising campaigns continue to have a
place on the political, NGO and Business Agenda’s, and that they should be
conducted in the most effective and knowledge based manner. Moreover, in order to
reach a critical mass of people, including those with low level of interest in
sustainability issues, the same collaborating actors need to make more radical
changes that will, in a shorter time, reduce unsustainable consumption practices, and
allow for people’s norms and values’ changes to follow later.

Arias & Söebech 137
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