The World Resources Institute, an environmental nonprofit, refreshed branding for its Coolfood meal labels, which highlight low-carbon food choices in places like Panera restaurants, IKEA food courts, and Aramark food service venues.
The old brand was not connecting with consumers, who needed clear, no-nonsense reasons to choose meals made with less meat and less emissions. For the rebrand, I created new promotions and banners that launched at more than 1,500 restaurants and food halls.
I focused on setting clear stakes for diners: yes, climate change may be a big heavy problem, but you can make a simple, tasty choice that goes a long way toward solving it. I deliberately avoided naming and shaming meat specifically as a culprit and instead focused on the more comfortable punching bag:
oil and gas.
Ultimately, people voted with their forks. The year after the rebrand, Coolfood found a reduction in per-plate emissions that was ahead of their target to reduce food emissions by 25% by 2030, largely a result of a shift away from meat-heavy meals to plant-based choices. In urban areas especially, red meat consumption dropped by half.
