Field experiments require alignment and coordination between researchers, organizations, and communities to address real-world challenges effectively. Insufficient stakeholder engagement and contextual understanding is a common challenge to researchers developing field interventions. The integration of partnership frameworks with behavioral science methodology represents a critical advancement in applied psychology research. I will discuss how strategic partnerships enhance the identification, design, implementation, and scalability of behavioral field interventions. The primary objective is to demonstrate key lessons learned from field studies focusing on sustainable consumer behavior. While one illustrative field experiment will be presented, insights derive from multiple partnership-driven studies.
A randomized controlled field experiment is being conducted at Vancouver's largest sports arena, examining behavioral interventions to support reusable cup adoption aligned with the venue's zero waste objectives. The target behavior is individual cup-returning behavior. Three conditions are being tested: a control condition, a lottery incentive offering cash prizes, and a lottery incentive offering participants choice between cash prizes or equivalent charitable donations.
Data collection will occur during September and October 2025 across multiple events. Data analysis will be completed prior to the conference. The study evaluates return rates across experimental conditions, economic viability metrics, and cash versus donation preferences. Results will provide recommendations for reusable cup programs and insights into which incentive types promote sustainable behavior. Partnership challenges and successes will be discussed.
The partnership approach identified a critical intervention point: the venue would discontinue the program if return rates fell below the required threshold. While the behavioral intervention targets individual cup-returning behavior, achieving the collective threshold enables system-level change, program continuation and potential expansion to stadiums nationwide. Strategic partnerships fundamentally enhance the effectiveness and scalability of behavioral field interventions, enabling researchers to design interventions where individual behavior change directly supports broader organizational and environmental goals.