CHOICE Hosts First pilot Stakeholders Participatory Workshop in Austria
On November 12, 2024, the CHOICE project kicked off its co-design approach for developing large-scale awareness and engagement campaigns, with the first participatory lab for the Austrian pilot. Hosted by INOQO at the IIASA premises, the lab brought together around 20 key stakeholders from across the food value chain—including consumers, retailers, policymakers, and other representatives—each contributing valuable insights to shape a targeted, impactful campaign. This event marks a significant milestone in CHOICE’s mission to promote sustainable food consumption practices in Austria.
Engaging Stakeholders with a Mental Mapping Exercise
A key feature of the participatory lab was a Mental Mapping Exercise, facilitated by INOQO and ATHENA RC. By employing a scenario analysis (e-commerce retail website), the participants brainstormed on potential conversion types that could lead to strategic goal-setting in achieving behavioral changes tailored to the needs and particularities of the Austrian pilot
Specifically, stakeholders were divided into two subgroups to exchange insights and explore the key question: How do we influence consumer behavior to promote sustainable food choices?
The exercise highlighted several key factors:
- Motivations and barriers to adopting sustainable food practices, like price, accessibility, culture, lifestyle, and health.
- The role of personalized recommendations, such as suggesting sustainable alternatives during online purchases or offering plant-based recipes in a non-prescriptive way.
- Interactive engagement strategies, including gamification, sustainability challenges, and social comparison metrics to motivate behavior change.
- Importance of data and privacy, emphasizing the need for reliable consumer data while respecting Austria’s strong privacy concerns.
- Potential context-specific communication channels that will facilitate message communication.
Defining Campaign Goals and Metrics
After a short break, the subgroups reconvened to present their findings. Facilitators summarized common themes and led a discussion on identifying key performance indicators (KPIs) and setting conversion goals to measure the Austrian campaign’s impact. These metrics will help ensure alignment between stakeholder expectations, consumer engagement goals, and measurable outcomes.
Next Steps: Participatory Labs Across Pilot Sites
The Austrian participatory lab is part of a broader initiative across CHOICE’s pilot countries. Similar participatory labs will integrate local insights into the design of campaigns that resonate with their respective communities. Each campaign will reflect unique cultural elements and practical strategies for driving sustainable food consumption at a grassroots level.
The first lab of the Austrian pilot concluded with a focus on the importance of collaboration and co-design in creating campaigns that meet the needs of both communities and businesses. By fostering these partnerships, CHOICE aims to contribute to the promotion of climate-conscious food systems across Europe, Africa, and Latin America.
Stay tuned for updates on CHOICE’s journey to inspire sustainable practices globally!
