Understanding Sustainable Behaviour

Nominated for the Platform Innovatie in Marketing (PIM) Literatuur prize 2026

The future will be shaped by behaviour: what we eat, buy, waste, repair, drive, vote for and accept as normal. But sustainable change does not happen simply because an option is better for the world. It happens when that option fits people’s lives and creates enough demand to survive in the market.

For sustainable companies and policymakers, this creates a crucial challenge. A 'greener' product that consumers do not want or understand will remain a niche idea, however good the intentions may be. To scale, sustainability must make commercial sense. It must create value for consumers and support business models that can stand on their own feet.

To successfully change people's behaviour, consumer insight is essential. It helps businesses and policymakers move beyond assumptions about what people say they want, and uncover what actually drives behaviour at the shelf, at home, and in society. Using practical frameworks, revealing case studies and behavioural insight, it shows how to turn future-proof ideas into propositions people want, businesses can support and markets can scale.

If you want positive impact and business growth to last, stop working from hunches or ideals. Start understanding what truly motivates. 

”Mandatory reading for anyone trying to take a sustainable idea to market and actually make it work.” – Imran Afzal, Open Innovations Expert and Founder of Worth The Squeeze Ltd

“Worth reading for everybody interested in promoting more sustainable consumer behaviour.” – Klaus Grunert, Emeritus Professor of Marketing, Specialist in food and consumer behaviour, Aarhus University