Little is known about the impact of interventions aimed at reducing the demand for single-
use plastic bags. In a natural field experiment conducted in a big supermarket chain in Armenia, we
test how a nudge (information on the environmental impact of plastic), a competitive financial bonus
scheme, and a free provision of reusable bags affect the demand for disposable bags. Relative to the
baseline with no intervention, both the bonus and the nudge considerably reduce the purchase of
disposable bags. The bonus scheme and the environmental nudge are equally effective when not
combined with free reusable bags. However, the financial bonus scheme combined with a free
reusable bag is a more potent catalyst of pro-environmental behavior than the environmental nudge
combined with a similar bag. Individuals actively use the tote bags to ditch plastic in the presence of
a competitive bonus.
Zoom Link: https://uoc-gr.zoom.us/j/97374751400?pwd=UjZ4cUVaSXZ2bnZUT1BNSVhySFlDQT09
