A service that helps consumers to shop for groceries with sustainability in mind.

Save

Type of project

Master major project (thesis) at the National College of Art & Design

Project location

Ireland, Germany

Extent of the project

May - August 2021 (12 weeks)

Mentor

April Durrett

Designer

Chu-Yi Vuong

This project was awarded with the Global Service Design Award 2022 in the category of best student project.

Problem & Challenge

The increased number of natural disasters is one of the results of climate change that we are facing at the moment. As the food industry is responsible for about 1/3 of the carbon emissions, we need to make more sustainable choices, especially as consumers (Eaternity Institute, 2021). However, we are loaded with different information about sustainability which causes confusion and thus we care less. So, how might we encourage consumers to shop for groceries with sustainability in mind?

Objective

With this design project, I aimed to design a service that helps consumers to shop for groceries with sustainability in mind. The purpose was to raise awareness over the impact that our choice of groceries has on our planet and to nudge the consumer to pick produce with low carbon emissions when shopping for groceries. Therefore a lower number of carbon emissions in the food industry should be reached and a change in the way each actor in the food system acts should be encouraged. It was important to me, to come up with a solution that is accessible to different groups of people in our society.

Solution

“Save” is a service that encourages and helps consumers to shop for groceries with sustainability in mind. Different touchpoints allow the consumer to understand the way “Save” works, why the produce they have picked is claimed as a “Save” product and educates the consumer on sustainability terms that are related to fresh produce. Simplicity, nudging and education were one of the key aspects that brought “Save” to life. “Save” is based on a loyalty card that is connected to a point collection system and provides transparency over the carbon emissions that have been produced in the production process. Consumers collect points every time they buy a produce with a “Save” logo and discount coupons are unlocked for their next grocery shop whenever a certain number has been reached. “Save” only labels produce that have not passed a certain number of carbon emissions. The designed service provides transparency over the production process of produce, gives consumers the opportunity to build a better understanding of the meaning behind the term sustainable produce and makes it fun and simple to use.

To learn more about the idea behind “Save” and designing for society, click on the link below and listen to the podcast:
https://www.servicedesignpodcast.com/episodes/nudging-sustainability-with-chu-yi-vuong