# How Value-Sensitive Design Can Empower Sustainable Consumption

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2004.09180 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2004.09180/

## Key facts

- Cited by 5 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 20 Apr 2020.

## Built on by (most cited first, 5 of 5)

- [Generative AI voting: fair collective choice is resilient to LLM biases and inconsistencies](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.11871/) (2024)
- [Collective Privacy Recovery: Data-sharing Coordination via Decentralized Artificial Intelligence](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2301.05995/) (2023)
- [Science in the Era of ChatGPT, Large Language Models and Generative AI: Challenges for Research Ethics and How to Respond](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.15299/) (2023)
- [Multi-Objective Optimization for Value-Sensitive and Sustainable Basket Recommendations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2111.05944/) (2021)
- [Democracy in the Era of Artificial Intelligence](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.13026/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

In a so-called overpopulated world, sustainable consumption is of existential importance.However, the expanding spectrum of product choices and their production complexity challenge consumers to make informed and value-sensitive decisions. Recent approaches based on (personalized) psychological manipulation are often intransparent, potentially privacy-invasive and inconsistent with (informational) self-determination. In contrast, responsible consumption based on informed choices currently requires reasoning to an extent that tends to overwhelm human cognitive capacity. As a result, a collective shift towards sustainable consumption remains a grand challenge. Here we demonstrate a novel personal shopping assistant implemented as a smart phone app that supports a value-sensitive design and leverages sustainability awareness, using experts' knowledge and "wisdom of the crowd" for transparent product information and explainable product ratings. Real-world field experiments in two supermarkets confirm higher sustainability awareness and a bottom-up behavioral shift towards more sustainable consumption. These results encourage novel business models for retailers and producers, ethically aligned with consumer preferences and with higher sustainability.