Nudging for Sustainability: Applying Behavioural Insights in Business and Policy

In an era where sustainability is both a strategic priority and a societal expectation, understanding why people behave the way they do is crucial. This session introduces the field of behavioural economics and the concept of "nudging"—small, evidence-based changes to choice architecture that can lead to significant behavioural shifts.

Drawing on key findings from behavioural economics, the session will explore how behavioural insights can be practically applied to encourage more sustainable behaviours among customers, employees, and stakeholders. Whether you're shaping policy, driving organisational change, or designing customer experiences, this session offers actionable tools to support your sustainability agenda through behavioural innovation.

Speakers:

Professor Swee-Hoon Chuah is a behavioural economist at the University of Tasmania, where she also serves as Director of the Tasmanian Behavioural Lab. She holds a PhD in behavioural and experimental economics from the University of Nottingham and is an expert in cross-cultural experimental economics, with a particular focus on how values and social identities shape economic behaviour. Swee-Hoon has a strong interest in applying behavioural insights to public policy and previously served on secondment to the Behavioural Economics Team of the Australian Government (BETA) in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Her work has attracted significant funding from government agencies, NGOs and research councils in the UK, USA and Australia.

Professor Robert Hoffmann is a behavioural economist in the Tasmanian Behavioural Lab at the University of Tasmania. His research focuses on decision making in social and strategic situations. He has conducted behavioural studies across Europe, the US, Asia and Australia, and his work spans experiments, surveys and field studies. Rob earned his PhD in Economics from the University of East Anglia and previously held academic appointments at Nottingham University Business School and RMIT University, where he led research centres and international MBA programmes in Malaysia, China and Singapore. His work has been widely published and featured in international media.