Consumers appear to embrace sustainable innovations, such as electric vehicles and smart energy systems, because it means something positive for their status and identity. Raising people's awareness of this symbolic significance can make an important contribution to the adoption of such innovations, says researcher Ernst Noppers. On 22 November 2018, he hopes to defend his doctoral thesis at the University of Groningen. His Ph.D. research was funded from the NWO Energy Transitions programme.