· 8 min read
Behavioural prompts can reshape habits
The most impactful changes often stem, not from grand gestures, but from subtle, visionary practices that encourage people to think differently about their daily routines. With around one-third of our lives spent working, the workplace provides an ideal environment to learn and adopt more sustainable habits.
As well as providing a relaxing and memorable experience for guests, hotels are workplaces, with teams of people who experience sustainability initiatives daily. By embedding water-saving technologies into operations, staff are not just maintaining an eco-friendly infrastructure - they are actively showing how small changes in behaviour can deliver measurable environmental benefits. This creates a culture where greener working is the default. We know from studies in the hospitality industry that when managers display strong environmental beliefs and install this, it helps to foster greener behaviour in the rest of the workforce.
In a recent UK pilot study, behavioural prompts in hotel showers have reduced water use by over half, illustrating how gentle nudges can reshape habits.
The initiative also represents something powerful – it is a way to connect workplace sustainability with personal behaviour change. When you become conscious of saving water at work, this also affects other areas of your life and the decisions you make.
Studies show that for behaviour change interventions to be effective, ‘nudges’, (for reducing single-use plastics, for example), and reminding people to bring reusable bags when they go shopping, are a useful tool - along with policymakers ensuring that people have access to plastic-free options.
Across the hospitality sector, there’s been a notable shift - the conversation around sustainability is no longer about aspiration - it’s about taking necessary action. Guests, employees, and stakeholders increasingly expect hotels to take a leading role in reducing environmental impact.
Today’s eco-conscious traveller expects an establishment to be able to deliver an outstanding experience in a way that works in harmony with the environment. Research shows that they are willing to pay for it, and behaviour follows suit, with over 30% of consumers saying they are ready to change the way they travel for environmental reasons.
Water scarcity affects over 40 per cent of the world's population, and a quarter of people globally face extremely high levels of water stress, making them vulnerable to the impacts of drought or increased water use. Hotels can use up to 1,500 litres of water every day per person - eight times that of local residents.
This excessive use not only carries an environmental cost, placing extra pressure on local communities, but also inflates hotels’ water and energy bills, directly impacting the bottom line. In fact, research shows that there are potential water savings of up to 50% in many hotels – meaning that there is a significant incentive for hotels to cut back on their water consumption.
How behavioural spillover can support greener living
‘Behavioural spillover’ - the relationship between something adopted in one environment, extending into other areas - can apply to increasingly sustainable habits.
When employees see the positive impact of more eco-friendly systems in their workplace, they take that awareness home. Suddenly, the conversation about reducing waste in the kitchen, switching off unused lights, or shortening shower times becomes second nature. Sustainability stops being a corporate buzzword – instead it is a personal value carried into everyday lives.
One 2024 study in Brazil examined the spillover of sustainable routines from work to home life and found that participants identified 58 changes in routine.
Behavioural campaigns targeting single-use plastic waste are some of the most effective levers we have for broader sustainability shifts. Small changes - choosing a reusable bottle, saying no to plastic-wrapped produce, or switching to refill stations - don’t just reduce waste; they trigger deeper mindset shifts, encouraging people to question other habits and the resources they use.
Businesses also have a vital role to play. Campaigns like Plastic Free July and Refill, which connects people with places to eat, drink and shop with less waste, are already creating impact, and could be further boosted with more support from industry.
What starts at the supermarket checkout can extend into every area of life and the decisions we make - and ultimately into national regulation, governance and infrastructure.
Crisis-led behavioural change
In 1976, the UK was gripped by a heatwave and drought so severe that standpipes were rolled out onto the streets and homes across the country were forced to ration their water. It was an era when the inconvenience of not being able to bathe or flush freely brought a powerful, if temporary, shift in public behaviour.
Fast forward to 1985 - less than a decade after the crisis - and domestic water use per person had plummeted to its lowest recorded level. But since then, the trend has quietly reversed. Today, average daily consumption has surged by 70%, from around 85 litres per person to around 147 litres in 2024
What drove the initial drop in the late 1970s and early 1980s? Technology cannot be credited because efficient washing machines and dishwashers didn’t begin to make a dent in water use until the 1990s. What changed, quite simply, was people’s behaviour. Faced with taps running dry and government-enforced restrictions, people adapted. They used less water. They reused more. They thought twice before turning on the tap.
The rapid drop in UK per‑person water use from 1976 to 1985 stemmed solely from behaviour change - driven by crisis.
Today’s modern appliances help, but they cannot substitute for mindful consumption and water use is spiralling. Smart metres are part of the solution, but smart‑meter uptake remains low – with only about 12% of households having a smart meter fitted in England.
The role of behavioural nudges
We need to harness change tools to create lasting habits – despite the importance of water-saving behaviours for managing water scarcity, most research focuses on adoption. A key gap in our understanding currently relates to what influences the maintenance of these behaviours so that they stick. For example, the household setting provides an important physical context for behaviours - providing cues that are necessary for habits to form.
Preventing wasteful habits is key – long showers, excessive lawn watering, or leaving the taps running can all be countered with simple reminders. Placing signs to help ‘nudge’ better habits near taps, use of smart showers, water monitoring tools or smart water meters, all help to instil awareness and encourage more mindful usage.
One study has shown that providing hotel guests with messages about water use while they are taking a shower can reduce the length of time they spend showering by more than 25%.
Rather than relying solely on new ways to supply demand, we need to question the demand itself. How can we make meaningful lifestyle changes without sacrificing quality of life? The answer lies in small, cumulative shifts in behaviour that, when adopted collectively, lead to significant environmental benefits:
• Reducing unnecessary consumption - do we need to buy as much as we do? Prioritising second-hand, refurbished, or repairable products over new ones can drastically cut waste.
• Cutting down on water use - simple actions like taking shorter showers can make a significant impact – cutting water and energy use by over half.
• Rethinking transport - although it is widely acknowledged that EVs are more environmentally friendly than their fossil-fuel counterparts, the calculations are complex. Overall, we should reduce car use, walking, cycling and using public transport where possible.
• Minimising food waste - a staggering third of all food produced globally is estimated to be wasted. Household waste is a major issue, with better planning, seasonal eating, portion control and composting all helping to contribute to a circular economy.
Creating conditions for sustainable practice
The workplace can be a powerful incubator for sustainability, providing a space where environmental awareness becomes a learned behaviour. When managers model environmental values and embed them in workplace design, they foster a culture where greener working becomes the default - providing a welcome ‘spillover’ into other areas.
Studies show that greener collective workplace engagement - like conserving water or campaigns such as reducing plastic use - can trigger broader lifestyle changes at home, turning sustainability from a corporate goal into a wider, societal shift.
Behavioural change often starts with behavioural cues - like reminder signs near taps or smart meters - in normalising conservation habits. These low-cost interventions make sustainability tangible and immediate.
And we have witnessed behavioural adaptation - stemming from the extreme water shortage in 1976 until the present day. Although usage later rebounded, the episode shows how necessity can drive large-scale habit change. Today’s challenge is to achieve similar outcomes without crisis, by creating conditions that make sustainability and mindful water consumption the norm.
Steps towards better sustainability practice:
• Leverage workplaces: Use organisational environments to model and teach sustainable practices that spill into everyday life.
• Design ‘nudges’, not just efficiency: Subtle cues, ‘nudges’ and data-driven solutions can all support sustainability efforts.
• Connect personal and systemic change: Behavioural shifts need to be paired with infrastructure and policy, to make sustainable options easy and accessible.
• Lead by example: Managers and organisations that visibly prioritise sustainability can influence workforces and communities.
• Build resilience through habits, not crises: Encourage behavioural adaptation now, rather than waiting for environmental emergencies to force it.
illuminem Voices is a democratic space presenting the thoughts and opinions of leading Sustainability & Energy writers, their opinions do not necessarily represent those of illuminem.
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