Ecological awareness is shared by more and more French people, who act accordingly. Waste sorting, energy saving, soft mobility... these are just some of the simple gestures with which many French people are now familiar. However, too few of them think about managing their personal finances, which have a major impact on the environment.
In anticipation of World Environment Day this Monday, June 5, Helios, the banking alternative that protects the climate with your money, is launching a unique simulator: a free online tool that will enable the French to calculate, in just a few seconds, the carbon impact of the money they have in the bank.
To calculate the carbon impact of your money, go to : Calculate your carbon footprint
Banks leveraging digital ESG to support customers' green transformation
Did you know? Our savings pollute more than we do
A few weeks ago, the Banking on Climate Chaos report revealed that in 2022, French banks were at the forefront of financing new fossil fuel projects, providing $11.9 billion in financing to oil and gas behemoths. Indeed, the money we put in the bank is used for many activities, some of which are not very virtuous. To put it simply: our money pollutes, often without our knowledge.
Given this reality, which is still little known to the general public, Helios wanted to give everyone the opportunity to discover the environmental impact of the money we have at the bank.
A unique simulator to discover the carbon impact of your money in just a few clicks
To shed light on the issue, and in the hope of raising awareness among individuals, Helios has developed an in-house tool to simulate the carbon impact of money placed in the bank.
The methodology used by this tool is based on independent data published by the various banks, cross-checked with data published by the NGO Oxfam in 2020 and calculations by Greenly, a carbon audit specialist and helios partner.
Today, 8 establishments (including Helios) are referenced. Due to a lack of transparency in the publication of their results, the others have not yet been included.
Not all banks are equal in terms of CO2 emissions!
Among the so-called "traditional" banks included in the tool, not all are equal.
The best performers identified are : La Banque Postale with 353kg CO2 equivalent (eqCO2) per year for €1,000 in banking, Crédit Mutuel, Banque Populaire and Caisse d'Epargne, with 379kg eqCO2 per year for €1,000 in banking.
The dunce caps go to Crédit Agricole, with 444kg eqCO2 per year for €1,000 in the bank, and above all BNP Paribas and Société Générale, with 601kg and 652kg eqCO2 per year for €1,000 in the bank respectively.
Helios, which promises its customers transparency in protecting the planet with their money, shows 148kg eqCO2 per year for €1,000 on its accounts.
"With this simulator, we want to bring the French face to face with reality, to raise awareness. We also hope to make banks face up to their responsibilities. Both those who need to improve their environmental policy, and those who hide in spite of their duty of transparency," says Maeva Courtois, Co-Founder of Helios.
