News
A societal innovation for climate action developed in Finland and used by millions is entering a new phase: Consumers International takes the lead in expanding the Lifestyle Test and Lifestyle Data worldwide.
Senior Lead, Sitra International Programmes
Specialist, Global Circular Economy
Published
16.9.2026
The Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra and Consumers International have announced a partnership to bring the award-winning Lifestyle Test and Lifestyle Data initiative to a global audience. The transition marks the first international spin-off of a Sitra-developed societal innovation and opens a new chapter for a tool that has already helped hundreds of thousands of people understand and reduce the climate impact of their everyday lives.
Originally developed by Sitra, the Lifestyle Test was created to answer a simple but important question: how can individuals contribute to addressing climate change through their everyday choices? The digital tool quickly gained popularity, attracting more than 1.5 million users in Finland and becoming one of the country’s most widely used sustainability services.
“The Lifestyle Test demonstrates how a bold idea developed in Finland can grow into an international solution with global relevance,” said Kristo Lehtonen, Director of Sitra’s International Programmes.
“We are proud that an innovation born in Finland will continue helping people around the world make more sustainable lifestyle choices.”
“When we created the Lifestyle Test in 2017, our aim was to make sustainable everyday choices understandable, practical and motivating for people,” said Anu Mänty, Senior Lead at Sitra, who coordinated the development of the original test and will continue to support the initiative through its advisory board.
Building on the test’s success, Sitra led a consortium of 16 partners that secured €5 million in Horizon 2020 funding from the European Union to adapt and expand the tool across Europe. The test was localised and launched in ten European countries, combining behavioural science, digital innovation and citizen participation. More than 1,700 citizens took part in co-creation workshops to help tailor the service to local needs and cultures.
The results have been significant. During a 24-month active market phase in Europe, more than 620,000 people took the test, generating over 68,000 personal lifestyle change plans with a combined emissions reduction potential exceeding 97 million kilograms of CO₂e. This is equivalent to what 21,000 gasoline-powered cars emit in a year. On average, users who created a plan aimed to reduce their annual carbon footprint by around 20 percent.
Alongside the consumer-facing tool, Lifestyle Data has emerged as one of the world’s leading consumer-climate datasets. Generated from anonymous user data, it provides insights into people’s willingness to adopt more sustainable lifestyles and highlights areas where policy makers, businesses and civil society can help accelerate change. The dataset has already informed multiple European policy briefs and recommendations.
The Lifestyle Test’s source code, datasets and the lessons learned throughout the project are now openly available, enabling their continued use and development to support research, evidence-based policymaking and the promotion of sustainable lifestyles.
Starting September 2026, Consumers International – the membership organisation for consumer groups around the world – will lead the future development, maintenance, distribution and scaling of both the Lifestyle Test and Lifestyle Data.
“This partnership gives the Lifestyle Test the best possible platform for global growth,” said Josh Bayly, Director of Sustainability at Consumers International.
“By combining practical consumer engagement with valuable behavioural insights, the initiative can help support sustainable lifestyles and informed decision-making in countries around the world.”
While operational responsibility transfers to Consumers International, Sitra will remain closely involved. Finnish users will continue to have free access to Elämäntapatesti, the original Finnish version of the service.
Lifestyle Test is a digital tool that helps people understand the climate impact of their everyday choices and identify practical actions to reduce it. Originally developed by Sitra in Finland, the tool has been used by millions of people and adapted for ten European countries.
Lifestyle Data offers valuable anonymous insights into how people are ready to make more sustainable lifestyle choices and how society can support them.
Sitra is a Future Fund that helps Finland to reform. We anticipate the future. We develop solutions to tomorrow’s challenges in collaboration with our partners. We promote Finland’s well-being and accelerate sustainable economic growth. A better future demands action today.
Consumers International is the membership organisation for consumer rights groups around the world, bringing together 200 Member organisations in more than 100 countries, with a mission to empower and champion the rights of consumers everywhere and to build a fair, safe and sustainable marketplace.