Carbon Footprint Tracker

We calculate your estimated carbon footprint using an industry-specific emissions factor assigned to the specific category allocated to the merchant (the retailer) from which you made your purchase. Our partner, Cogo, has mapped Australian-specific emission factors (e.g., utilities, petrol, groceries, clothes & shoe shopping etc.) to industry categories that we apply to eligible transactions from included accounts in the Westpac App. When we calculate your carbon footprint, it’s an estimate based on the total transaction amount, not the individual items making up that purchase.

Currently, the Westpac Carbon Footprint Tracker does not consider all of the environmental or lifestyle choices you make that may reduce your carbon footprint. The Tracker uses average Australian industry data that is supplied by our partner, Cogo, to calculate the estimated carbon footprint associated with eligible transactions.

Here are examples of what's included in some categories:

Groceries

We can't see the individual grocery items that you purchase or see your specific dietary choices. Therefore, we use an average Australian grocery emissions factor to calculate your estimated carbon footprint for transactions within the ‘Groceries’ category.

Energy and Electricity

While we can see the energy or electricity provider you use, we can’t see whether you're buying just electricity or natural gas, or whether you’ve selected energy from a renewable source with your provider. We use average Australian emissions factors, which are high due to Australia's overall reliance on coal and other non-renewable energy sources.

Shopping

We can't see the individual items or brands you purchase, so we use average emissions factors per type of shopping category (e.g., clothes & shoes) to calculate your estimated carbon footprint, taking into account the global supply chain.

In this context, the global supply chain refers to the raw materials being used and transported between countries to create a finished product. The finished product is also generally transported between countries until it reaches the final consumer.

Most eligible transactions are automatically assigned to an industry category with an associated estimated carbon footprint emissions factor. Transactions where the category can’t be identified by us will be shown as ‘Uncategorised’. An estimated average emissions factor, made up of a weighted average emission factor across all sectors, will be applied.

You can easily change the category applied to a transaction by tapping on the transaction, and under ‘Subcategory’ tap ‘Edit’, then choose the category you feel best fits the transaction. We provide some suggestions based on the transaction description. The App will continue to learn as you update your subcategories and categorise future transactions similarly.

Every transaction, whether for a product or service, can be a source of emissions. Mortgage or home loan repayments are no different. When you make a loan repayment, you're typically paying for a few different things: interest, administration charges, and paying off a portion of the principal. Most components of a mortgage repayment have a carbon footprint. The emissions factor applied is based on the estimated average emissions of entities that our partner Cogo considers form part of the Australian Financial Services industry.

Simply tap on the transaction, then under ‘Subcategory’ tap ‘Edit’, and choose the category you feel best fits the transaction. We provide suggestions based on the transaction description. The App will continue to learn as you update your subcategories and categorise future transactions similarly.

Transactions that show as ‘Pending’ can’t be categorised until they’re finalised (settled), so won't appear in your Carbon Footprint Tracker insights. They’ll be included once they are finalised (settled).