Sustainably Sustainable

Municipalities in the Netherlands have been trying for years to influence the consumer behaviour of their citizens towards a lifestyle in which choosing sustainable products and services is a matter of course. There is a gap between intention and behaviour: many people are aware of the urgency and necessity to change their consumption behaviour, but still do not adopt actual sustainable behaviour. How can municipalities encourage sustainable behaviour among their residents? 

Effective Sustainability Interventions 

In this project, the Hanze University of Applied Sciences Groningen and the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences are working together with four municipalities – Almere, Groningen, Aalten, and Assen – to find practical tools to encourage better choices among residents. Each of these municipalities will focus on a different case, such as mobility, energy, drought, and vegetarian food. A diagnostic instrument will be developed that allows municipalities to research the main obstacles to sustainable behaviour among target groups. Interventions will then be selected and tested with the target groups. The result will be a practical diagnostic tool that enables municipalities to make smarter choices for effective sustainability interventions. 

Methodology 

Research Question
Municipalities play an essential role in encouraging their residents to consume sustainably. Policy officers try to encourage citizens to make more sustainable choices, but this is not yet sufficiently successful. Many people are aware of the necessity and are also willing to change, but do not adopt sustainable behaviour: an intention-behaviour gap. How can municipalities develop a well-founded approach to encourage sustainable behaviour among residents? 

Results
During the project, communication methods will be developed and tested to help municipalities bridge the intention-behaviour gap among their residents. From the various experiments, we will deduce what works best. The results will be a concrete guide and approach for municipalities to make an informed choice in the most effective communication method. 

Impact
The project aims to develop a diagnostic instrument for municipalities that helps them choose the most effective interventions to encourage sustainable behaviour. By using this instrument, policymakers can design sustainable policies that are more target group-oriented and scalable, and therefore more effective. This will make it easier for residents to make sustainable choices in their daily lives and thus contribute to a more sustainable society. 

Valorization
The basis for the tools and programs is a detailed analysis of various groups of citizens within the four participating municipalities. The project results will be widely disseminated through academic and practical publications, so that municipalities and other organizations can benefit from the new resources. 

Current developments
At the end of March, the research team and representatives of the involved municipalities met to discuss progress and share key findings. The research team is currently identifying the obstacles that residents of municipalities may experience when adopting more sustainable behaviour. During an interactive session, various aspects of these obstacles were discussed, including motivation, availability of resources, and residents' capacity to adopt certain behaviours. The meeting also kicked off the second phase: the research team is now focusing on further developing the second work package, ‘From diagnosis to intervention.’ Another meeting is planned for early July, where new findings are expected. 

Team

• Erik Kostelijk 

• Sjoukje Goldman 

• Vincent van den Berg 

• Reint Jan Renes 

• Danique Bredenoort 

Partners & research groups

The "Sustainably Sustainable" project is a joint project of the Hanze University of Applied Sciences Groningen (contact person lecturer Karel Jan Alsem, Institute of Marketing Management) and the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. In this project, both knowledge institutions work together with policymakers from the municipalities of Almere, Groningen, Aalten, and Assen. 

From the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, the research groups Psychology for a Sustainable City and Digital Commerce are involved. This project is co-financed by a RAAK grant from Regieorgaan SIA.