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None of New Zealand’s four biggest banks have adopted the technology.
Photo: RNZ
A Wellington-based tech company behind a carbon footprint calculator says it is disappointing that uptake has been slow among New Zealand banks.
The carbon footprint tracker by Cogo has become popular overseas and is already used by banks in Asia, North America, mainland Europe and the United Kingdom with Westpac Australia now also onboard.
But New Zealand banks have not been so eager, with Kiwibank being Cogo’s only local client, offering carbon tracking to business customers.
“It is disappointing that a tech company out of Wellington, New Zealand has seen very little movement from New Zealand banks,” Cogo founder Ben Gleisner said.
He believed the appetite existed for its product in this country.
He said NatWest bank in the UK – which launched Cogo in its mobile banking app about 18 months ago – was a “great example” of Cogo’s impact on bank customers.
“One of the things people often say is: do people care enough to opt into this service and start looking at their carbon footprint?
“NatWest [which has] millions and millions of average Britons thinking about their day-to-day life, we’ve had roughly 10 percent of them now looking at their carbon footprint and using it to help manage that,” Gleisner said.
He felt solving climate issues was seen by some as a “nice to have” in New Zealand.
“Climate change is real, it’s happening and I think more and more people are going: what can I do about it?”
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