The use of 'Eco-Cheques' - vouchers to buy green product - saved at least 230,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions in Belgium in 2018, according to a study done by the CO2Logic climate consultancy for VIA, the Belgian association of issuers of voucher cheques and ecocheques.
This volume is equivalent to 11.6 million trips between Brussels and Ostend by car, the two organisations said. LED lightening, isolation products, and electrical appliances make up the lion’s share of the savings on CO2.
According to the report, each euro spent using eurocheques saved at least 1.01 kg of CO2 last year. The study only includes cases in which these cheques encourage the consumer to buy more sustainable goods. It does not cover purchases of organic products that, in any event, had been planned.
EcoCheques were used to the sum of 256 million euros last year. Of this, 38% was used to purchase electrical/multimedia goods, 17% went towards do-it-yourself type material, while 4% was spent on goods related to renovation and construction. These types of goods accounted for 31%, 35% and 24% respectively of the overall CO2 reduction.
A detailed analysis of the reductions shows that LED lighting purchases accounted for the largest contribution (25%), followed by material used for isolation (21%) and major electrical appliances.
Bicycles, shower heads and thermostatic taps also had a significant impact.
The Brussels Times
