DSS
Federal Office for the Environment FOEN
Final demand for goods and services is often linked to greenhouse gas emissions along the whole value-added chain both inland and abroad, such as CO2 from transport, building heating systems, industry and the extraction of raw materials. Nitrous oxide and methane are admitted by agriculture and waste management in particular.
Switzerland is a small, open economy and closely integrated into global trade. Therefore, it is important to consider not only domestic emissions but also those generated abroad by Swiss final demand. A large part of Switzerland’s footprint is created abroad because imports make up a high proportion of the country’s total consumption.
medium
unsatisfactory
Per capita
The Climate and Innovation Act provides the framework for Switzerland's medium to long-term climate policy. In particular, it enshrines the net-zero target for 2050 for territorial greenhouse gas emissions and contains guidelines for individual emitting sectors. This Act contributes to reducing the greenhouse gas footprint, even though the net-zero target does not apply to emissions abroad. In addition to this Act and the CO2 Act, other decrees, strategies and measures in other policy areas contribute to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and thus also to the greenhouse gas footprint. (2030 Sustainable Development Strategy or Orientation future de la politique agricole).
In the following, a pragmatic assumption of net zero by 2050 is made. This target corresponds to a widely used international benchmark for achieving net zero emissions and serves as a guideline in line with the objectives of the Paris Agreement.
Although the population grew during the period under review, the carbon footprint in 2023 decreased by around 13% to approximately 132 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents compared to 2022. In 2023, the per capita carbon footprint was around 14.8 tonnes of CO2 equivalents.The carbon footprint therefore remains too high, and the state is therefore rated as medium. The long-term trend shows a 30% decline since 2000. Although it is positive, without additional measures, am ecologically sustainable will not be achieved by 2050. The current trend must therefore be considered unsatisfactory.
In general, the carbon footprint is well above a level compatible with the planet's resilience limits. Globally, only a limited amount of emissions can be released into the atmosphere in order to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. Assuming that each country is entitled to an equal emissions quota, Switzerland's share has already been used up or is about to be used up.
Absolute and efficiency
The share of emissions linked to imports has increased over time in relation to domestic emissions. In 2023, 75% of emissions were generated abroad.
The ratio of final domestic demand for goods and services to carbon footprint increased by around 60% between 2000 and 2023. There has therefore been a decoupling between economic growth and greenhouse gas emissions.
The reduction in the carbon footprint and the improvement in efficiency have various causes. On the one hand, environmental and energy policy regulations have an influence. For example, the CO2 tax on fossil fuels such as fuel oil or natural gas encourages economical consumption and increased use of climate-friendly energy sources. On the other hand, more resource-efficient technologies and the growing market share of environmentally friendly goods and services may also have had an influence.
An international comparison is only indirectly possible, due to the differing data sources and calculation methods used as a basis. According to Tukker et al. (2014) and the calculations of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and of the UNEP Life Cycle Initiative (LCI), Switzerland’s greenhouse gas footprint per capita is more than double the global average, and up to four times higher than that of many developing countries (see e.g. SCP Hotspot Analysis).
Greenhouse gas footprint
The greenhouse gas footprint records the greenhouse gas emissions generated by a country's total domestic final demand for goods and services. Domestic final demand corresponds to the sum of household and general government expenditure on final consumption, gross fixed capital formation and changes in inventories.
The greenhouse gas footprint is a quantity that cannot be measured directly and must therefore be partly modelled. Several methods exist for this purpose; the one chosen for Switzerland is based on the Environmentally Extended Multiregional Input-Output Analysis (EE-MRIOA) approach. This method is considered state of the art within the international statistical community, and its application has become possible thanks to the availability of new data sources. The FSO publishes Switzerland's greenhouse gas footprint calculated using this method for the first time in 2025.
In a nutshell: Switzerland's national emissions, as recorded in the air emissions accounts, are supplemented by a model. This model combines multiregional input-output tables (MRIOT), which enable product flows between sectors and countries to be traced, with compatible data on greenhouse gas emissions by country, sector, gas and year. Combining these data sources makes it possible to estimate emissions generated throughout the production chain, at their place of origin.
From 2010 onwards, the calculation of the greenhouse gas footprint is based on data from FIGARO/Eurostat, and between 2000 and 2009 on data from IEA/OECD and GLORIA. This change in source limits temporal comparability to the largest aggregates.
| Targeted trend | Initial value | Final value | Variation in % | Observed trend | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decrease | Average 2000-2002 | Average 2021-2023 | -29.04% | Decrease | unsatisfactory* |
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Basis: t per capita *Modification of the final trend assessment result as justified in the comment |
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