Eco Insights
Summary
Eco Insights is a research project that aims to promote the transition to a sustainable food system by using citizen science as a driver. Citizen science is an approach that involves citizens in scientific research, such as making observations, measuring, collecting data or assessing the quality of data. Citizen science can empower citizens to participate in the co-creation of knowledge and solutions to societal challenges, such as a sustainable food system.
From Eco Insights to SUSTSCORE: A winning C2 collaboration
The Eco Insights project - a multi-year collaboration between academia and industry - has yielded multiple successes over the years: master's theses, undergraduate projects in technology and business, and volunteer work in the nonprofit sector. We are proud to announce the completion of this track: the approval of SUSTSCORE, a winning C2 application to KU Leuven, as well as Odisee's first ever contribution to a C2 project with KU Leuven.
SUSTSCORE focuses on developing and testing sustainability scores for food products, bridging the gap between sound indicator design and consumer perception research. The initiative not only contributes to academic knowledge about composite sustainability indicators, but also aims to empower consumers to make conscious, sustainable choices in their daily lives.
Building on the foundation of Eco Insights, this collaboration positions Odisee and KU Leuven at the forefront of sustainability research around consumer behavior, while laying the foundation for societal impact through tools such as mobile apps and digital platforms.
Towards a more transparent and responsible food system
Eco Insights began with the ambition to make food systems more accessible, transparent and responsible. With SUSTSCORE, that aspiration takes a decisive step forward.
Open Food Facts
An open source for sustainable food data
In its third year, the Eco Insights team discovered and supported platform initiatives that contribute to Open Food Facts, the world's largest open source food database.
This United Nations-recognized Digital Public Good provides users and developers with scores such as the Nutri-Score, NOVA score and Green Score.
Expected Output
- Development of a sustainability platform that allows consumers and producers to monitor and compare food sustainability scores.
- Use of a comprehensive and flexible data system that tracks the environmental, social and economic impact of food products - from farm to fork.
- Integration of data from various sources, based on a rigorous and transparent methodology.
- Ability for citizens to actively contribute to the data collection and assessment process, thanks to collective intelligence and AI tools.
- Access to credible and understandable information on the sustainability of food products.
- Encouragement of healthy and sustainable consumption behavior by making consumers better informed and aware of the impact of their choices.
Expertise across institutions and disciplines
- Dr. Sandra Rousseau (KU Leuven) - Promotor
- Dr. Simon De Jaeger (KU Leuven) - Co-supervisor
- Dr. Bart Henssen (Odisee)
- April Bilbrey (Odisee)
- Ben Majer (21CATS, Materialise)
- Dr. Marieke Franck (Artevelde)
