Dr Gulbanu Kaptan | Reducing Household Food Waste: Behavioural Insights for Climate Action

Dr Gulbanu Kaptan, Associate Professor in Behavioural Decision Making at Leeds University Business School and chaired by Dr Jonas Cromwell, Lecturer in Food Security. Welcome and introductions followed by a 20-minute webinar and 10 minutes for Q&A.

Household food waste is a major contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions and a key barrier to sustainable food systems.

Gulbanu draws on insights from two of her research projects to present how behavioural science can support climate action. Her research is on judgment and decision making, with a particular emphasis on risk (and benefit) perception and communication, and behaviour change.

The first project, the European Consumer Food Waste Forum, produced a compendium of tools, best practices, and recommendations to help key players prevent household food waste, along with a technical report identifying the most effective and efficient consumer food waste interventions across the EU and beyond.

The second project, conducted in collaboration with WRAP, investigated the associations of socio-demographics and food management behaviours with directly measured food waste among 1,783 UK households. The presentation concludes with reflections on how these behavioural insights can inform climate strategies, contributing to broader discussions on climate resilience and sustainable food systems.

Being transdisciplinary and applied, Gulbanu's research supports organisations and consumers in reducing food waste, improving food safety behaviours, promoting the adoption of novel foods, and strengthening the resilience of the food supply chain in the face of disruptions. Gulbanu has secured funding from a range of UK and international agencies, including ESRC, BBSRC, the Food Standards Agency, and the Swiss National Science Foundation. She has served as an expert member and advisor on behavioural decision research for several committees, including the Food Safety Research Network at the Quadram Institute, the European Consumer Food Waste Forum of the European Commission and Zero Waste Scotland.