Cash or card? How we pay affects the climate. The differences in the ecological balance of the two payment options are surprisingly large.
The Germans love cash. Older people in particular still often pull out their wallets. After all, there is enough cash: there are a total of 29 billion banknotes and 144 billion coins in circulation in the euro area. That also means: Enormous amounts of valuable raw materials are used. If you put all the banknotes on top of each other, the stack would reach 2900 kilometers into the sky; with the coins it would even be more than 230,000 kilometers.
Paying by card or app is becoming increasingly popular among younger people. Around 160 million bank and Credit cards are widely used in Germany. At first glance, that sounds like a lot environmental and more climate friendly. But is that really the case?
Transport and raw materials have a negative impact on the environmental balance
Source: Stern
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
