Supervisors: Polymeros Chrysochou & John Thøgersen
Discussants: Sonja Perkovic & Panos Mitkidis

Abstract
Environmental sustainability remains a global priority, yet a considerable gap persists between individuals' environmental attitudes and their actual behaviour—commonly referred to as the "green gap." One promising approach to bridging this gap is through communication, particularly via framing. Research in the behavioural sciences has shown that subtle changes in how messages are framed can encourage desired behaviours.

This PhD thesis comprises three empirical papers, each using multiple online experimental surveys, to explore the impact of framing on promoting sustainable behaviours, specifically reducing meat consumption (papers 1 and 2) and encouraging the adoption of reusable food packaging (paper 3).

The first paper examines the effects of message framing by testing two types of animal anthropomorphism commonly used in advertisements—animals depicted with human-like emotions versus animals with human-like physical traits—on meat consumption and charitable donations. The second paper investigates the role of anchoring bias in product labelling and its influence on food consumption decisions. The third paper explores the effect of price framing, comparing partitioned and all-inclusive pricing, on consumer preferences for reusable packaging in fast-moving consumer goods.

The findings across all studies consistently demonstrate that framing offers a compelling strategy for addressing the green gap and advancing a consumer shift towards sustainability. By carefully designing how information is presented, marketers, policymakers, and businesses can significantly influence consumer decision-making towards more environmentally friendly choices.

Everyone is welcome!