SUSTAINABILITY

Carbon footprint

Do you know how much CO2 you generate? We help you be aware of your carbon footprint, offset it and reduce it.

What is the carbon footprint?

On a daily basis, all of our activity generates greenhouse gas emissions, which build up in the atmosphere and are responsible for climate change.

The name carbon footprint has been coined for all the emissions generated directly or indirectly by a person, organisation, event or product. Did you know that you can estimate the impact of your footprint by the purchases and direct debits you make? They are associated with a carbon footprint expressed in tonnes of CO₂ equivalent (CO ₂) emitted.

How is it calculated?

At Banco Santander we have been working with Factor CO2, a consultant specialising in climate change, to develop a methodology to calculate the CO₂eq emissions associated with each of your transactions (credit cards, debit cards and direct-debit charges), depending on the amount in euros and on the sector of activity associated with each.

We exclude purchases from international retailers and at any establishments which already offset their carbon footprint, and any cash payments you make.

This methodology has been reviewed by the consultant KPMG. The entire calculation process is carried out internally, in strict compliance with current regulations on data protection and with the bank's privacy policies, and no information or customer data are shared at any time.

The summary of your carbon footprint in your Santander app.

1. Take a look at your footprint and its tree equivalent.

2.Take a look at the breakdown of your footprint by categories..

3. We give you advice to reduce your footprint.

What does offsetting your carbon footprint mean?

Compensation is not a measure to substitute reduction of the carbon footprint, but acts as a complement for the remaining emissions that cannot be reduced at the present time. At Banco Santander, via the Climatetrade¹ company, we offer you the possibility of offsetting your carbon footprint by purchasing carbon credits.

Each carbon credit is a tonne of CO₂eq prevented or mitigated in the atmosphere. You can offset per kg of CO₂eq. When you offset your footprint by buying carbon credits, they will be locked out and cannot be used by other individuals or companies.

The cost of carbon credits is directly related to the cost of the project that generates them, and so this could vary according to, for example, its location, its nature, or availability.

Find out how to offset your carbon footprint in your Santander app

1. Access the offsetting zone in your Santander app.

2. Select the project and amount you wish to offset

3. Select the card with which you want to offset.

4. When the purchase has been made, you will receive an offset certificate.

Your Carbon footprint

Find out what the impact of your carbon footprint is

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How to offset the carbon footprint

You can offset your carbon footprint by purchasing carbon credits via the following projects offered by Climatetrade¹.

Reforestation in Vichada (Colombia)
This project, located at the base of the River Orinoco in Colombia, combines reforestation with protection of biodiversity and restoration of ecosystems. The offsetting price per kg is EUR 0.012.

Reforestation in Monto (Teruel, Spain)
Reforestation project in a fire-damaged area, by planting autochthonous species over 5 hectares. The offsetting price per kg is EUR 0.055.

Your Carbon footprint

Find out what the impact of your carbon footprint is

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Reduce your footprint by applying this environment-friendly advice

We provide you with information on your carbon footprint, and some advice and good practices you can apply to your daily activities to reduce it. We invite you to explore the advice available in the following consumption categories:

Food

Using reusable fabric bags to buy fruit and vegetables (or any other bulk product) reduces your carbon footprint.
Buying products in bulk reduces your carbon footprint because we are preventing the production of packaging.
Try to avoid single-use plastic packaging or unnecessary packaging.
Try to buy at outlets you can walk to, because this means you are not using a car, which would increase your carbon footprint.
Whenever you can, choose fresh local produce in season. The carbon footprint is smaller because we are reducing the transportation factor.
Reducing your consumption of meat helps reduce your carbon footprint. Methane emissions from cattle have a considerable impact on climate change.
Buy produce that has been prepared on the basis of sustainable practices.
Buy produce with recyclable packaging.
Prevent wastage of food.

Supermarkets and shopping

Comprando solo aquello que realmente necesites reducirás tu huella de carbono personal.
Siempre que sea posible, solicita tu ticket virtual. Evita la impresión de papel.
Los productos “Made in Spain” tienen una menor huella de carbono que los productos importados debido a la huella de transportarlos.
Dale una segunda vida a los productos que ya no utilices.
Reutiliza y repara antes de comprar productos nuevos.
Adquirir productos de segunda mano contribuye a alargar su vida útil.
Buying only the things you really need will reduce your carbon footprint.
Whenever possible, ask for a virtual ticket. This prevents printing on paper.
The products that are “Made in Spain” have a smaller carbon footprint than imported products, due to the transportation footprint.
Give a second life to any products you no longer use.
Reuse and repair before buying new products.
Buying second-hand products helps extend their lifespan.
Buy produce prepared on the basis of sustainable practices.

House and home

Buying electricity from renewable sources considerably reduces your carbon footprint.
Decide to install your own renewable energy production systems. We can help you with the Green Renovation Loan!
Don't waste water, not only to prevent water stress, but also because you are avoiding distribution emissions.
Keep your water distribution systems in good condition, because this helps reduce your consumption.
Fit flow-limiters to your taps, to prevent any unnecessary use of water.
Switch off all your electronic devices before you go to bed.
Unplug any electronic devices you are not using.
Keep your electronic devices in good condition, as this helps reduce your consumption of electricity.
Keep your fridge free of ice and clean it constantly. The more products you keep in it, the more energy it will use to keep them cold.
Switch on the dishwasher and the washing machine when they have a full load.
Buy household appliances with high energy efficiency, because this helps reduce your electricity consumption.
We can help you with the Home Improvement Loan!
Avoid using driers, and hang your clothes out in the open air.
Limit the use of hot water in the washing machine.
Use the dishwasher to wash the dishes.
Use a thermostat to avoid unnecessary use of the heating system. Keeping a constant temperature in your
home helps reduce your carbon footprint.
Keep your boiler in good condition, because this helps reduce your consumption of fuel.
Recycle whenever you can, because this will help you reduce your carbon footprint.
Use LED lighting, because the consumption is much lower, and this will help you reduce your carbon footprint and save money.
Use reusable bottles for water.
Avoid bottled water, and fit filters to your taps at home.
Ask for an electronic bill for all your direct debits, thereby avoiding consumption of paper and messaging services.
Make sure your house is properly insulated and energy-efficient, because this will help you reduce your heating and air conditioning consumption, and reduce your carbon footprint. We can help you with the Home Improvement Loan!
If you are going to buy a house, check out the energy certificate, which will give you an idea of the energy consumptions you will have. The better the certification (A and B), the lower the energy consumption and the carbon footprint. We can help you with our Green Mortgages, with discounts for sustainable housing on the fixed mortgage and variable mortgage.

Transport and automotive

Use public transport whenever you can, because its footprint is much lower than using your own car.
Coordinate with your co-workers to share a car, and each of you will be helping to reduce your carbon footprint.
Whenever you can, walk to places, or ride a bicycle.
Ensure your driving is tranquil, observing speed limits, because this will help you obtain more efficient use of fuel.
Make responsible use of air conditioning.
Keep your car in good condition, because this will help you make more efficient use of fuel.
Use your city's car-share initiatives.Buying hybrid or electric cars considerably reduces your carbon footprint. We can help you with the "Coche Ecológico" Loan and the "Coche Ecológico" rental facility.

Leisure

Whenever you can, use the train or bus for transport. Their emissions are much lower than air transport.
Avoid air transport for short distances.
Make use of sustainable hotel alternatives.
At hotels, use the lighting, heating and air conditioning responsibly.
Be responsible with your use of the towel and sheet washing service.
If you need to hire a car at your holiday destination, choose an electric or hybrid car.
Offset your carbon footprint when you travel by air with the options offered to you by the airline.
Choose ECO travel options whenever the airline allows this.
Travel light by air, because this reduces the consumption of fuel during the flight.

Education and health

Use e-books and tablets to prevent the use of teaching materials on paper.
Use jotters and books made from paper with sustainable forest management or recycled paper.
This prevents printing on paper.
Buy produce that has been prepared on the basis of sustainable practices.
Avoid buying produce with unnecessary packaging.
Buy medication formats with dosages that actually meet your needs, and use the "SIGRE" points at your chemist's for expired medication, because this will help you guarantee proper treatment for this waste, with no adverse effects on fauna and flora.

Your Carbon footprint

Find out what the impact of your carbon footprint is

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FAQs

What kinds of consumption are addressed in each of the footprint categories?

Food: activities relating to agriculture, cattle farming, fishing, and foodstuffs, beverages and tobacco.
Supermarkets and shopping: activities relating to wholesale and retail trading.
House and home: supplies (electricity, gas, air conditioning, water), sanitation activities, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, pensions, public administration and social security, repair of computers and domestic appliances; and other activities relating to the home.
Transport and automotive: sale and repair of motorised vehicles and ancillary transport activities.
Leisure (entertainment and travel): sea and air transport, accommodation, food and drink, film activities, video and television, travel agencies, tour operators, libraries, museums and other cultural activities, gaming and sport, recreational and entertainment activities, among others.
Education and health: pharmaceutical products, veterinary activities, education and healthcare activities.
Services: repair and installation of machinery, construction, architecture and engineering, postal activities, IT activities, real estate activities, legal and accountancy activities, advertising, rental activities and other professional activities, among others.

How can I reduce my carbon footprint?

Banco Santander provides you with information on your carbon footprint, and some advice and good practices you can apply regularly to reduce it. We invite you to explore the advice available in the consumption categories explained above.

What does tree-planting equivalent mean?

Trees absorb CO₂ from the atmosphere and store carbon in their wood as they grow, while they exhale oxygen. This ability to take in carbon from the atmosphere is measured in tonnes of CO₂.

Not all trees absorb the same amount of carbon dioxide, and this depends on factors such as their growth maturity, the species and geographic location. It could be estimated that a tree in Spain can absorb an average amount of 250 kg of CO₂ over 40 years. So, if you generate 4,000 kg of CO₂ in your footprint in one year, you must plant approximately 16 trees so that their lifetimes can offset your footprint over one year, although there are other ways of offsetting this, as you will see below.

What are the benefits of being aware of and mitigating my carbon footprint?

Being aware of and measuring your carbon footprint will enable you to quantify the emissions generated by your consumption, and to take measures to minimise your impact: either by directly reducing your emissions (see the advice section), or by offsetting any emissions you have not been able to reduce by buying carbon credits.

Climate change is a reality, and the main environmental challenge facing our planet. It is a problem which affects all of us, and the solution is in our hands: it does not depend on a government, a corporation or individuals, and requires joint collaboration because the responsibility is shared. It does not matter how small you believe your actions are, because the sum of many small actions will generate a positive impact on the environment.

Does the bank extract any economic benefit from this service?

Banco Santander does not extract any economic benefit, and our only benefit is moving forward with our customers and helping to decarbonise the economy. This service aims to provide a space for our customers to make a contribution to protection of the environment and the fight against climate change. Banco Santander is only giving its customers information on their carbon footprint, and offering them the possibility of offsetting it on a carbon credits purchase platform.

What carbon credits can I buy?

Through Climatetrade¹ (official intermediary in the voluntary carbon market, with tax no. B87550646 and registered office at G.V. Marqués del Turia nº 49 planta 5, puerta 4, Valencia), you can gain access to a number of offsetting projects generating carbon credits available for purchase (see preceding section). ClimateTrade¹ will be tasked with purchasing and effectively withdrawing carbon credits on the European Emissions Register (or any other registers where the assets have been issued), under “Banco Santander customer offsetting project”, and will issue you with a proper certificate to accredit the purchase.

The projects selected and provided for our customers to carry out offsetting have been verified by one of the main international standards analysing this kind of project. In addition to this verification, Banco Santander carries out a further analysis of the projects.

Simplifying matters, a distinction can be made between projects which prevent emissions (e.g. renewable energies which replace pollutant sources with clean energy, or prevention of deforestation), and projects which absorb CO₂eq (e.g. reforestation projects or carbon capture through technology). In general, nature-based solutions such as reforestation, management of agricultural land or the conservation of water bodies and wetlands can make an effective contribution to the capture of CO₂eq, although the associated cost is usually high.

Among the various options, you can choose from projects in emerging countries or projects with a local impact, and you will see a brief description of the project and the positive impact it generates. In any case, bear in mind that CO₂eq emissions have a global effect, and so offsetting with national or international projects means you are making a contribution to the fight against climate change.

What is Santander Group doing to offset its own footprint?

Banco Santander has undertaken a commitment to be carbon-neutral after 2020 by offsetting any emissions produced by its own operations that cannot be reduced. Since 2011 the Group has implemented a number of energy-efficiency and sustainability plans, and has managed to reduce its consumption of electricity by 27%, reduce atmospheric emissions by 61%, and reduce paper consumption by 69%. 100% of the electricity used by Banco Santander in Spain is from renewable sources, and corporate buildings in Spain have ISO 14001 and zero-waste certification, at the corporate head office of Boadilla and Santander Spain.

In 2020 Santander Group deployed a plan to offset emissions on the basis of five projects in Mexico, Spain, Brazil, Germany and the United States, focusing on the development of wind power and hydroelectric energy, reforestation and the reduction of emissions of nitrous oxide. In Spain, Banco Santander will make a contribution by planting 275,000 trees to assist with the reforestation of three forests, offsetting more than 82,000 tonnes of CO₂eq and creating jobs for 15,000 people, with a particular focus on the inclusion of more vulnerable groups.

Santander Group is also stepping up its initiatives to assist with the transition towards a green economy: world leader in terms of funding for renewable energy projects, issuance of green bonds, commitment to mobilise EUR 120 billion in green funding between 2019 and 2025, and EUR 220 billion up to 2030.

In addition, to support the objectives of the Paris Agreement on climate change, Santander Group has undertaken to achieve zero net carbon emissions (net zero) by 2050, not only in the Group's own operations, but also in due consideration of emissions by customers that may arise from any funding, advisory or investment.

Information on the processing of personal data

“As the data controller, Banco Santander, S.A. estimates its calculation of your carbon footprint on the basis of analysis of the transactions you carry out with your means of payment, and of bills paid through any accounts held by you with the bank.

You will find detailed information on the processing of your data, and also your rights, in the legal notice on the bank's website www.bancosantander.es.

The advice and FAQs you will find in this space are not customised for you, but are general and equal for all customers."

Your Carbon footprint

Find out what the impact of your carbon footprint is

ACCESS NOW

FAQs