Estimating the environmental benefits of plant-based nudging

Today’s industrial food systems contribute significantly to climate change and environmental degradation. Mitigating food-related impacts may require some level of behavioural change by consumers. Some of this change can be implemented using nudges, specifically in the form of choice architecture or default interventions that lead to increased consumption of less environmentally harmful, plant-based options. This study offers a framework for calculating the differences in emissions, land use, and water use attributable to the implementation of a plant-based nudging strategy at a generic conference. A customisable Excel model enables readers to calculate impacts from their own event or run their own analysis. A case study using this framework demonstrates a significant decrease in food-related emissions, land use, and water use from plant-based nudging alone, although these results are highly dependent on many factors including the efficacy of the intervention and the ingredients chosen.