Effects of environmental impact labels on the sustainability of food purchases: A randomised controlled trial in an experimental online supermarket

by Christina Potter, Rachel Pechey, Michael Clark, Kerstin Frie, Paul A. Bateman, Brian Cook, Cristina Stewart, Carmen Piernas, John Lynch, Mike Rayner, Joseph Poore, Susan A. Jebb

Providing consumers with product-specific environmental impact information for food products (ecolabels) may promote more sustainable purchasing, needed to meet global environmental targets. This UK study (N = 1051 participants) investigated the effectiveness of different ecolabels using an experimental online supermarket platform, comparing three labels against control (no label). Significant reductions were found in the environmental impact score (EIS) for all labels compared to control (labels presented: values for four environmental indicators [-3.9 percentiles, 95%CIs: -5.3, -2.6]; a composite score [taking values from A to E; -3.9, 95%CIs: -5.2,-2.5]; or both together [-3.2, 95%CIs: -4.5, -1.9]). Providing ecolabels is a promising intervention to promote the selection of more sustainable products.