Shaping Sustainable Choices

In this week’s episode, host Christopher Marquis is joined by Ellen Jackowski, Chief Sustainability Officer at Mastercard, to explore how the company is experimenting with ways to support more sustainable consumer choices. Positioned within a payments network that reaches 150 million merchants and billions of cardholders, Mastercard has a vantage point on everyday spending that can help inform how incentives and information are designed. They discuss a recent pilot at University College London, created with Rewild, that linked item-level purchases to emissions data and offered rewards for lower-carbon food options.

Early findings suggest that such incentives can influence purchasing decisions, offering useful insights into consumer behaviour. Ellen also highlights practical trials, from reusable cup systems in European cities to tap-and-go transit technologies, that aim to lower friction for more sustainable actions. A key theme throughout is Mastercard’s inspire, inform, enable framework, including tools like the Carbon Calculator and campaigns with public figures such as Gareth Bale, which seek to address the “say–do gap” by matching clearer information with convenience and rewards.

Together, these examples demonstrate how practical tools can facilitate a transition from sustainable intentions to more sustainable everyday choices.

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