Forgot Your Bottle or Bag Again? How Well-Placed Reminder Cues Can Help Consumers Build Sustainable Habits

Abstract

Despite widespread knowledge and acceptance of the importance of climate-friendly behavior, consumers often fail to take the necessary actions to engage in more sustainable consumption. We propose a framework for structuring reminder messages to drive desired climate-friendly actions in a way that helps consumers build better long-term habits. Specifically, we formally test where to place the reminder in the consumption decision process (refilling of reusable water bottles) and find that simple action-oriented reminders, if placed early in the decision process, where they can benefit from contextual triggers, can motivate habits that endure even after the reminder period has ended. Furthermore, we find that specific sustainability-focused reminders (bringing a reusable bottle or bag) can motivate climate-friendly behaviors without negatively affecting overall consumption of the underlying good.