The Whole is greater than the sum of the parts: Integrating Behavioural and Systems Approaches for Environmental action

​Encouragingly, practitioners working on sustainability—from government behavioural teams to NGOs and policy labs—are already experimenting with ways to blend behavioural science and systems thinking. These innovations, whether in energy transitions, sustainable consumption, circular economy programs, or biodiversity restoration, are rarely documented yet offer rich lessons for both research and practice.

​This interactive session will surface and share how environmental behaviour change practitioners are navigating complexity, overcoming systemic barriers, and integrating behavioural insights into broader sustainability strategies. Participants will engage in framing discussions, live polling, and breakout groups to:

• ​Identify effective strategies for embedding behavioural science in environmental policy and practice.

• ​Explore real-world cases where systemic and behavioural approaches have worked together.

• ​Reflect on skill, capability, and partnership needs to strengthen this integration.

​Insights will be synthesised into a shared resource for the BeSci + Environment community, contributing to a more sophisticated, system-aware approach to sustainability behaviour change. Together, we will explore how behavioural science can help deliver the scale and depth of change our environmental challenges demand