SIX has commissioned carbon-connect AG, a company specializing in carbon footprints and offsetting, with analyzing three common types of invoicing: paper invoices, e-mail invoices and eBill. The aim of the study was to assess how much greenhouse gases are emitted by each procedure and thus to determine to what extent partially or entirely digital processes can reduce the environmental footprint and help protect the environment.
Even today, there are still billions of invoices sent per year in Switzerland, most of them by mail. Based on calculations using the necessary assumptions and estimates performed as part of the sustainability study, around 63,222 metric tons of CO2 equivalents were emitted in 2021. This corresponds to the carbon footprint of 4,215 Swiss people – including their consumer behavior, mobility, habitation and eating habits.
Purely digital processing and storing payments with eBill can significantly improve thecarbon footprint. SIX estimates that around 80% of all invoices will be sent with eBill by 2028. This will make a difference: if the number of invoices stays the same, eBill’s purely digital processing and storage could reduce CO2 emissions by 66% in this way.
The data reference and details on the determination of emissions for the respective invoicing processes can be found in the “Sustainability in Invoicing” report from SIX.