Abstract The nutrition industry is characterized by high greenhouse gas emissions, as much as 25–30% of all worldwide climate. Deploying eco-labeling to increase people's awareness about the pollution caused by their dietary choices is being introduced to promote more sustainable consumption. The experiment aimed to explore the effectiveness of different eco-labeling approaches and quantify the expected effect on consumer behavior. The data were collected by conducting an online-based survey in the form of a restaurant visit simulation using the PsyToolkit development tool. A convenience sample of 144 participants was randomly assigned to four groups: a) no label, b) climate-friendly icon for low-emitting choices, c) the CO2 equivalent emissions per meal for all items, and d) a combination of an icon and numbers. This survey showed a 9% reduction in average CO2 equivalent per meal with the certificate alone, 4% with label and number, but no reduction in the group using only the CO emissions number. Female gender and green attitudes are associated with making a green dietary choice, and the graphical approach was more effective than providing the report on CO2 emissions as a pure number. Further research is needed to understand the impact of demographics, lifestyle, and attitudes on the possibilities of becoming greener.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-2896677/v1
Publish Year: 2023
