BehaviourWorks

We bring behaviour change researchers together with government and industry to find behavioural solutions to real-world problems. We are a leading behaviour change research enterprise within the Monash Sustainable Development Institute, and an enterprise of Monash University.

The Responsible Consumption Mission led by BehaviourWorks and its partners explore how systemic behavioural public policy experiments, that support 'responsible consumption', could have a substantial impact on transitioning Australia's material-footprint. The Responsible Consumption Mission is guided by the ambitious goal of reducing per capital material resource consumption in Australia by 15% by 2030 while maintaining community wellbeing and economic resilience. Our work aims to understand if and how behavioural public policy approaches could contribute to reducing the impact of lifestyles in affluent populations while also aligning with the objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals to promote prosperity while also protecting the planet.

Examples of responsible consumption programs:

• Conscious consumerism (i.e. purchasing decisions that have positive social, economic, and environmental impacts)
• Choosing ethical and eco-friendly brands and products
• Supporting relevant charities, policies and initiatives
• Avoiding higher impact items and products
• Favouring services and more durable, reusable and repairable items