Westpac NZ and CoGo partner to track Kiwis' carbon footprint in real-time

A new Carbon Footprint Tracker feature will be added to the existing free CoGo app, which helps Kiwis align their spending and environmental/social values.

CoGo app users in New Zealand will soon be able to track their personal carbon footprint in real-time, thanks to a new partnership between CoGo and Westpac NZ.

A new Carbon Footprint Tracker feature will be added to the existing free CoGo app, which helps Kiwis align their spending and environmental/social values.

The app already boasts more than 3,000 accredited business listings and has had more than 20,000 downloads.

Already successfully proven in the UK, the real-time Carbon Footprint Tracker will allow CoGo users to securely link their transaction data from any major NZ bank to the app using open banking technology.

This data is analysed to create a personalised carbon footprint for each user, as well as recognising and recommending actions they can take to reduce it. For example, adopting a climate-friendly diet, buying second-hand goods or purchasing an electric vehicle.

Customers from more than 35 UK banks embraced the Carbon Footprint Tracker when it launched in May, with nearly half of users choosing to link their bank data to the app.

The app draws on 12 months of historic data, which has highlighted the impact of COVID-19 - with carbon footprints of their users in the UK nearly 50% lower in May 2020 compared to May 2019.

 Ben Gleisner, the CEO of CoGo, has recently returned from London with his family, where he spent two years setting up the company's UK office.

“It is really great to be home and to bring back a Kiwi-made tech platform that has proven itself as a world-leading solution to the climate crisis. With Westpac NZ’s support, we will empower businesses and citizens across the entire country to build the low-carbon economy we all know is needed”, Gleisner said.

Westpac NZ Customer Experience Hub General Manager Karen Silk said the Carbon Footprint Tracker will enable Kiwis to undertake the same type of analysis being done at the bank.

“Having recently become New Zealand’s first Toitū carbonzero certified bank, we leapt at the opportunity to help our customers understand and reduce their carbon footprints too. Climate change can be difficult to understand at a household level but CoGo cuts through the confusion and provides information Kiwis can use.”

Once a user has downloaded the app, selected their bank account and consented to share their data with CoGo, Westpac NZ’s API platform will provide the customer data to CoGo for analysis.

CoGo has raised significant investment to support UK and NZ expansions plans, and have Australia, USA and Europe in their sights. Their shareholders include a number of big names in key industries, including Sir Stephen Tindall (NZ - Retail), Mark Sainsbury (UK - Grocery) and Andrew Thorburn (AUS - Banking).

The new open-banking powered Carbon Footprint Tracker is due to launch on the CoGo app in September this year and will be free for anyone with an account at one of the five largest NZ banks.