Sustainability is not a fringe consideration—it’s a priority for modern consumers and an imperative for businesses navigating a world with finite resources. Yet, a persistent challenge remains: the gap between consumers’ expressed attitudes toward sustainability and their actual behaviors. Research by White et al. (2019) provides a solution in the form of the SHIFT framework, a comprehensive guide to understanding and influencing sustainable consumer behavior. Below, we explore the SHIFT framework and offer actionable strategies to help marketers bridge the attitude-behavior gap.

The SHIFT framework outlines five psychological levers that marketers can use to encourage sustainable behaviors: Social influence, Habit formation, Individual self, Feelings and cognition, and Tangibility. By addressing these dimensions, marketers can design interventions that effectively promote sustainability.

Social Influence

Social norms, identities, and desirability play pivotal roles in shaping behavior. Consumers often mimic the actions of others, especially when these actions are perceived as approved by their community.

Strategies

• Leverage social norms: Showcase how others are engaging in sustainable practices. For instance, campaigns can highlight, “80% of residents recycle regularly,” to normalize the behavior.
• Foster public commitments: Encourage consumers to make public pledges, such as signing sustainability challenges or displaying eco-friendly badges. Public accountability reinforces commitment.
• Target social identity: Align sustainability with desirable group identities. For example, promote eco-friendly products as a marker of being part of a progressive and responsible community.

Habit Formation

Habits are behaviors repeated automatically in response to cues. Since many unsustainable practices are habitual, changing these routines requires deliberate intervention.

Strategies

• Create disruption opportunities: Introduce sustainable options during moments of life change, such as moving homes or starting a new job. These transitions disrupt old habits, making it easier to establish new ones.
• Simplify sustainable actions: Reduce barriers to entry by making eco-friendly choices effortless. Examples include placing recycling bins in convenient locations or offering pre-packaged compost kits.
• Use prompts and rewards: Reinforce desired behaviors with reminders and incentives. For instance, apps can notify users to carry reusable bags and reward them with discounts for doing so.

Individual Self

Sustainable actions often require a trade-off: personal sacrifice for collective benefit. This tension can be mitigated by linking actions to individual identity and values.

Strategies

• Highlight personal benefits: Connect sustainability to personal gains, such as cost savings, improved health, or enhanced quality of life. For example, “Switching to LED lights saves you $100 annually.”
• Frame actions as moral choices: Emphasize the ethical dimension of sustainability. Campaigns can appeal to consumers’ values by showcasing how their actions protect future generations.
• Personalize messages: Tailor communications to resonate with individual motivations. Segment audiences based on values, such as environmentalism or frugality.

Tangibility

Sustainability often suffers from being intangible or long-term. Increasing the immediacy and visibility of benefits can spur action.

Strategies

• Localize impacts: Highlight immediate, local benefits of sustainable actions. For instance, “Using public transit reduces air pollution in our city.”
• Show progress: Provide feedback on the outcomes of sustainable behaviors. Smart meters that display energy savings in real-time motivate continued conservation.
• Use collective impact framing: Quantify and visualize how individual actions contribute to a larger movement, such as “Together, we saved enough water to fill 100 Olympic pools.”

The SHIFT framework’s versatility allows marketers to combine strategies for maximum impact. Consider the following steps to implement the framework effectively:

• Identify barriers and drivers: Assess the primary and secondary obstacles to sustainable behavior in your target audience. For example, is the issue habit-related, or does it stem from social norms?
• Develop consistent messaging: Ensure all elements of your campaign align. Mixed messages, such as emphasizing both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards, can backfire.
• Test and adapt: Conduct field experiments to evaluate the effectiveness of your interventions. Refine strategies based on feedback and outcomes.

Example 1: Grasscycling Campaign
A campaign encouraging grasscycling (composting grass clippings) addressed social norms and personal benefits. Door hangers emphasized community participation (“Your neighbors are grasscycling”) and individual advantages (“Grasscycling improves your lawn’s quality”). The dual focus increased adoption rates.

Example 2: Gasoline Warning Labels
To reduce gasoline consumption, a nonprofit proposed warning labels on gas pumps. These labels combined social influence (communicating social disapproval of excessive driving) and tangibility (showing local environmental impacts). The approach demonstrated the power of targeting multiple SHIFT factors.

The SHIFT framework empowers marketers to design campaigns that not only influence consumer behavior but also foster a sustainable future. By leveraging social influence, cultivating habits, connecting to the individual self, evoking emotions, and enhancing tangibility, marketers can close the gap between attitudes and actions.

Sustainability is a shared journey. Marketers have the unique opportunity to inspire collective progress while achieving business goals. Start incorporating the SHIFT framework into your strategies today and be part of the movement toward a greener tomorrow.