Here’s how a TV series inspired the KeepCup revolution. What’s next in the war on waste?

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 19:43:51 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://theconversation.com/heres-how-a-tv-series-inspired-the-keepcup-revolution-whats-next-in-the-war-on-waste-210718>

"Changing habits can be hard. So when a single episode of an Australian
television show prompted a national shift in behaviour, as behavioural
researchers, we took notice.

The first (2017) and second (2018) seasons of the ABC TV program War on Waste
reached audiences of 3.8 million and 3.3 million viewers, respectively. That’s
one in seven Australians. It inspired action, slashing the waste footprint of
hundreds of Australian organisations. So it remains a valuable example of TV
driving social change, and one we can still learn from today.

Through focus groups conducted in 2018, we explored how the first season
encouraged Melbourne millennials’ to adopt reusable coffee cups. Then, when the
COVID pandemic prompted greater use of disposable consumer products, we
revisited the data and delved deeper into behavioural science.

Our analysis revealed people were drawn to the engaging storytelling,
confronting visuals and prankster ex-Chaser host Craig Reucassel. He
demonstrated, step-by-step, how to minimise waste in a relatable and guilt-free
way. Our research, recently published in the journal Communication Research
and Practice
, can guide others to achieve similar success in behavioural
change."

Cheers,
       *** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net               Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/            Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/               Manager, Serious Cybernetics

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