A majority of Swiss say they are in favor of the circular economy, in particular measures obliging traders to repair certain products. On the other hand, the willingness to make a personal contribution is weak, according to a survey ETH Zurich and the Federal Office for the Environment.
“There is a clear divide between approval in principle and practical behavior,” said Thomas Bernauer, head of the study at ETHZ, quoted in a statement from the high school on Thursday.
I behave in an ecological way…
A majority of the more than 6,000 respondents think they behave in an ecological way. Two-thirds say they have sold or given away used clothes, a smartphone, a vacuum cleaner or a washing machine over the past twelve months, the four products taken into consideration in this survey.
On the other hand, they are much less likely to want to acquire such second-hand objects. This is the case for clothing to a modest extent, but rare for the other three products.
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… but I do not share
Respondents also showed a very limited willingness to share certain goods, to rent or to repair, regardless of the price of the object. This is even the case for cars and washing machines, underlines the ETHZ.
A clear majority of respondents nevertheless think that circular economy measures would be beneficial. They start from the principle that the manufacture of products with a longer lifespan and made more from recycled materials might increase Switzerland’s competitive capacity and limit its dependence on imports of raw materials and energy, without negatively influencing the labor market.
