Our approach is founded on a variation of the "better half" principle.

We borrowed the idea from a widely praised and innovative scheme piloted in the city of Rotterdam a few years ago where a physical green rewards card was trialled - the Nu Card.

Although the incentives were well regarded, free cinema tickets and public transport, the tight criteria for awarding points had constrained its early adoption.

By adopting a relative approach, dividing all the products available into better half and worst half, including giving some points just for using the card, the take up was improved.

We have taken it one step further, by highlighting the best of the better half (our green rating).

The next steps are to widen the range of products and services that we make available through the programme, finding ways to reward local purchases, and then more.

References:

Carrots not sticks. Published by the National Consumer Council 2004

Nu Card. Published by the Welsh Consumer Council, 2004

The NU Card website. Contains most of the background and lessons of the project, which ran from 2002 to 2004.