Press: UK is keen to be green according to the largest ever analysis of consumers’ carbon footprints

Analysis by SEI York and the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) has revealed some positive shifts towards a more eco-friendly lifestyle. Data based on more than 300,000 responses to WWF’s carbon footprint calculator found an average 17% reduction in overall carbon footprint ^[1], as well as a 25% increase in people adopting plant-based diets over the analysis period ^[2].

The analysis, taken from 15 months of data between February 2019 and October 2020, showed the positive impact of lifestyle changes at home, with using renewable energy an important factor in people cutting their carbon footprints. The new data shows a near doubling of respondents on 100% renewable energy tariffs (from 12% to 21%) over the time frame. Home emissions, such as from heating and lighting, make up 22% of the average total footprint, meaning that a switch to a 100% renewable energy tariff could save an individual an average of 2.9 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) a year. As the average carbon footprint of respondents to the calculator is 13.7 tonnes a year, that represents a significant saving.

Read the press release on the SEI website for more details.