At a time when local governments are being asked to lead the transition to low-carbon, circular systems, the challenge of behaviour change has become central to how sustainable procurement is carried out. During a panel discussion at a recent resource recovery event, three experts shared their views on what drives – and hinders – progress. The participants were Esther Landells, senior policy officer at Local Government NSW; James McGregor, director of consulting firm Blue Tribe; and Lara Barclay, managing director of Adaptation Environmental Support.
Landells began by acknowledging the depth of the challenge noting that trying to change behaviours is hard work. She said that councils face barriers beyond goodwill such as limited resources, conflicting priorities, and deeply ingrained habits across procurement systems. There are a lot of competing demands.
“It’s not that people don’t want to do the right thing, it’s that they often don’t have the time, the knowledge, or the incentive to change the way they’ve always done things,” she said.
Within local government, Landells explained, procurement is as much about risk management as it is about sustainability. Officers are expected to meet compliance, budget, and political expectations all at once. She believes that risk aversion is a big part of the equation. People are worried about making mistakes or being criticised if something goes wrong. The system, she added, often rewards caution more than innovation.
That sense of risk can stall progress even when sustainable options exist. Councils may want to buy recycled materials or low-carbon products, but fear of untested suppliers, or the perception of higher costs, can hold them back. Telling someone they must change for the sake of it will carry little or no weight, she said. Councils and other bodies involved in the waste and resource recovery industry need to understand why people behave the way they do and support them through it, or give them levers to want to change.
Understanding the science behind decisions
McGregor picked up on that theme by arguing that behaviour change must be treated as a science, not a slogan. He thinks governments and other agencies tend to believe if they give people information, they’ll make better decisions. That’s not how human beings work, he said. His background in behavioural economics has shown him that people rarely act rationally, even when they know what’s right.
Instead, he said, decisions need to be based on social norms, emotional cues, and what we see other people doing. In other words, telling procurement teams to buy recycled content isn’t enough, they need to see evidence that others are already doing it successfully. Social proof is a powerful tool, he said. If you can show that another council is buying those products and saving money or reducing waste, others will feel the material safe and achievable. Rewards also play a role.
“Recognition, celebration, even something as simple as saying ‘well done’ – these are concrete rewards that reinforce behaviour,” he said. “We can’t assume logic will win. We must make sustainable behaviour the easier, more rewarding, more normal choice.”
In his view, leadership is also crucial. He believes people look to leaders for cues about what matters. When senior managers visibly support sustainable procurement and acknowledge its successes, that signal ripples through the organisation. He said that culture changes when people see what gets praised and what gets funded.
Building engagement
through access and trust
Barclay brought the discussion to life with an example from the community level. Her organisation, Adaptation Environmental Support runs the Recycle Mate program, which is designed to reduce contamination in household recycling and improve resource recovery. The program rests on five pillars: awareness, access, knowledge, support, and trust.
“Awareness is about helping people understand why it matters,” Barclay said. “Access is ensuring they can actually do it — that the infrastructure and systems are in place for all household waste streams. Knowledge means providing the right information at the right time, while support and trust come from consistent engagement, feedback and honest information. People will only change their behaviour if they believe their effort is valued and makes a difference.”
She emphasised that rebuilding trust is especially important in communities that have seen mixed messages or system failures in the past. If people have been told for years that recycling is going to landfill, it takes time to rebuild their confidence, she stated. Her approach combines education with visible proof of results; showing residents where their recyclables go and how they are used. Her mantra is that transparency builds belief and belief drives behaviour.
The program’s success, Barclay said, comes from meeting people where they are rather than expecting instant change.
“We tailor our communication to different audiences – households, schools, businesses – because each group has different motivations,” she said. “You can’t talk to everyone the same way.”
From intent to action
As the panel reflected on what unites these experiences, a shared message emerged: behaviour change is not a single event but a process. Landells said that while policy frameworks set direction, real progress happens when systems, leadership, and culture align. She believes it’s about embedding sustainability into everyday decisions, something that doesn’t happen overnight. She argued that councils need to be realistic about capacity.
“We’re often asked to do more with less,” she said. “Collaboration becomes essential. Partnerships between councils, suppliers, and state agencies can pool resources and share learning. We don’t all have to reinvent the wheel.”
McGregor agreed, adding that collaboration also amplifies social proof. He believes that when councils work together, it changes the story. It shows this isn’t a fringe idea, it’s mainstream. He encouraged local governments to highlight their successes publicly and make case studies visible. The more examples that are highlights of what works, the faster the shift will spread.
For Barclay, the key is to stay focused on the human side of systems change.
“Procurement, recycling, resource recovery, they all come down to people,” she said. “If we can design programs that respect how people think and feel, we can make sustainability part of normal behaviour.”
Barclay also warned against seeing behaviour change as purely educational. Information alone doesn’t transform habits, she said. Conditions need to be created for people to act differently. Barriers need to be removed to encourage progress, make it easy, and celebrate progress. Her experience with community engagement showed that small wins often lead to larger ones.
Leadership, learning and lasting impact
By the close of the session, the panel’s focus had shifted from theory to leadership. Landells spoke about the political realities of local government. She pointed out that elected officials have different priorities. It is up to industry to bring them along the journey by showing how sustainability aligns with community values and financial responsibility. When councillors see environmental procurement as good governance, not just good ethics, they are more likely to support it.
McGregor returned to the importance of framing.
“We should stop talking about sustainability as a cost,” he said. “Frame it as value; risk reduction, innovation, long-term savings. If we keep saying it’s expensive, people will believe it’s expensive. If we show it’s smart, they’ll believe that instead.”
Barclay added that leadership is not confined to formal titles. She said that everyone has influence, whether they’re a procurement officer or a community educator, those in the industry can model the behaviour they want to see. She described leadership as “contagious” – when one person acts with conviction, it encourages others to follow.
The discussion closed on a note of cautious optimism. Landells said she had seen a growing appetite within councils to align procurement with environmental goals.
“There’s a real desire to get this right,” she said. “We just need to support people with the tools, the data, and the permission to try new things.”
McGregor agreed. “Behaviour change isn’t mysterious,” he said. “It’s predictable. If we apply what we know about human psychology, we can design systems that make sustainable choices feel like the default.”
Barclay added the final word: “Change happens when people feel capable, connected and trust the system. If we can build those things, the rest follows.”
Across their different perspectives, Landells, McGregor and Barclay painted a coherent picture of what it takes to shift behaviour in sustainable procurement. The barriers are real with limited resources, risk aversion, and political pressures at the fore, but they are not insurmountable. Behavioural science, tailored engagement, and visible leadership can turn intention into action.
The conversation ended where it began: on the human element. Systems, policies and procurement frameworks matter, but change only takes root when people believe it can. As Barclay put it, “trust drives behaviour”.