State of complementary environmental currencies

Clients

Agence de la transition écologique (ADEME)

Period

2016

Expertise

Territorial Strategy

Context

Understanding the role of currencies in the transition

With the resurgence of complementary local currencies in France, ADEME has questioned the actual contribution of these systems to the ecological and energy transition process of territories and their potential for development.

service

Conduct a state of complementary environmental currencies

Vertigo Lab, together with three experts, including the TAOA association specialized in local currencies, assisted ADEME in conducting a state of complementary environmental currencies.

The first step of the mission involved creating an overview of these currencies at the international level.

Then, an economic analysis of their environmental impact, compared to conventional public environmental measures, was conducted to produce a report that can be consulted. Recommendations and action pathways were also formulated for ADEME.

BENEFITS

Identify the impacts and categories of environmental currencies

The study first allowed for the distinction between three categories of local and complementary currencies (MLC) with an environmental purpose: 'green' MLCs that direct consumption towards more environmentally friendly economic actors, currencies awarded as rewards for eco-actions or without compensation that aim to encourage citizens to adopt more environmentally friendly behavior, and currencies for exchanges between individuals to pool resources.

Once these outlines were drawn, the study allowed for associating environmental amenities with each type of currency, at the scale of certain projects.

Despite the absence of conclusions at a higher scale, this study demonstrates that complementary environmental currencies should be considered as an additional tool for ecological and energy transition.

The + Vertigo Lab

Expertise in economic analysis of innovative ecological transition systems, capable of rigorously evaluating their environmental and territorial effectiveness.