Users’ Experiences with the Use of Transaction Data to Estimate Consumption-Based Emissions in a Carbon Calculator

Abstract

With global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions ever increasing, we are currently seeing a renewed interest in carbon footprint calculators (or carbon calculators for short). While carbon calculators have traditionally calculated emissions based on user input about e.g., food, heating, and traveling, a new development in this area is the use of transaction data to also estimate emissions based on consumption. Such carbon calculators should be able to provide users with more accurate estimations, easier input possibilities, and an incentive to continue using them. In this paper, we present the results from a survey sent to the users of such a novel carbon calculator, called Svalna. Svalna offers users the possibility to connect their bank account. The transaction data are then coupled with Environmental Extended Multi Regional Input Output data (EE-MRIO) for Swedish conditions which are used to determine a continuous overview of the user’s greenhouse gas emissions from consumption. The aim of the survey was to (a) understand whether people are willing to connect their bank account, (b) whether they trust the calculations of their emissions, and (c) whether they think the use of Svalna has an effect on their behaviour. Furthermore, we wanted to know how Svalna could be improved. While the results of the survey showed that many users were willing to connect their bank account, a rather large part of the users perceived safety risks in doing so. The users also showed an only average level of trust in the correctness of the estimated greenhouse gas emissions. A lack of trust was attributed to experiencing technical problems but also to not knowing how the emissions were calculated and because the calculator could not capture all details of the user’s life. However, many users still indicated that the use of Svalna had helped them to initiate action to reduce their emissions. In order to improve Svalna, the users wanted to be able to provide more details, e.g., by scanning receipts and get better options for dealing with a shared economy. We conclude this paper by discussing some opportunities and challenges for the use of transaction data in carbon footprint calculators.