Designing climate labels for green food choices

Abstract

The food we eat plays a large role in greenhouse gas emissions. Climate labeling is one way to increase sustainable food consumption by making consumers mindful of their consumption choices. Many initiatives communicate food’s climate impact; however, it is unclear whether these labels are effective in changing food consumption behavior. Based on a review of climate label research and existing labels, three label designs were created and tested in an experimental online survey with a convenience sample of 249 Austrian residents (63.9% female; 54.2% aged 18–29 years) to determine whether the visual communication of a food product’s climate footprint influences food choices. Compared to no climate impact labels, communicating the climate footprint nudged participants towards climate friendlier food choices in half of the product choice sets (meat, grains, broccoli, and tomatoes). Label designs B and C consistently led to more sustainable choices. Not all labels were equally effective, suggesting that label design is key in stimulating climate-friendlier choices. The design features used to convey climate impact can better help consumers understand the impact of food and make more informed decisions when food shopping, however we find that how these features come together in a label design also play a role. Producers looking to convey their products' impact are advised to not only consider what information they put on their packaging (i.e., climate footprint) but also how this information is presented (i.e., holistic design of climate labels).