The Baslers and the Young Offset CO2 Emissions
Initial evaluations of CO2 compensation at Digitec Galaxus show: The option of having a clean carbon conscience at the click of a mouse is being received with varying degrees of success in Switzerland.
Since mid-June, Digitec Galaxus, Switzerland's largest online retailer, has also been offering the option of offsetting CO2 emissions when making purchases. This takes into account not only transport, but also the production of the products ordered. The market leader is thus following the trend for online retailers to increasingly offer CO2 offsetting. (Werbewoche.ch reported).
A first, in which SonntagsZeitung published analysis shows: One in ten customers clicks on the compensation button when making a purchase.
Basel and young people are more likely to click - Ü60 and Appenzellers less so
However, there are significant regional differences: In the canton of Basel Stadt, 12.6 percent offset their purchases - similar to the cantons of Bern and Zurich (around 12 percent each). The situation is different in Appenzell Innerrhoden: Less than 8 percent pay the surcharge, according to the evaluation.
But it's not just regionally that shoppers differ in terms of climate protection: while more than 16 percent of those under 20 offset their purchases, the figure for those over 60 is less than half that.
In the survey, more women than men also indicated that they would offset their purchases. In reality, there is no significant difference: 11.2 percent of men activate the green option, compared with 11.4 percent of women. There is no question of a gender difference.
Online shopping hurts less
Either way, the average figure of 10 percent is impressive - even though Digitec Galaxus expects figures of up to 20 percent based on surveys conducted in advance. For air travel, the rate is much lower: only one percent of Swiss customers offset their trip. However, Digitec Galaxus customers do not have to dig as deep into their wallets as Swiss passengers: an iPhone 11 costing around 800 francs costs only 3.55 francs to offset - not a big hurdle.
How the SonntagsZeitung reports, the willingness to offset CO2 emissions also has to do with whether the customer is facing a screen or a real person when making a purchase. For example, Hotelplan reports that in 2019, 28 percent of customers who booked at a travel agency offset emissions. On the Hotelplan website, the figure was only 1 percent.
