The water
Municipal supplies are drinkable in cities and towns; mountain springs are widely bottled for taste. Tap water: Varies.
Switzerland
The Swiss National Park, founded in 1914, the oldest national park in the Alps and a strict wilderness reserve where nature is left entirely alone.
RegionEuropeCurrencyCHFLanguageGerman, French, Italian, RomanshPowerType C/F, 230VTap waterVaries
Strong
Eco Index
What to expect on the ground
At a glance
Food & farming
Switzerland sustains a high-quality farm sector, especially dairy and cheese, supported by direct payments, but its mountainous terrain limits arable land and it imports around half of the food it consumes (Wikipedia, Agriculture…Read more
Switzerland sustains a high-quality farm sector, especially dairy and cheese, supported by direct payments, but its mountainous terrain limits arable land and it imports around half of the food it consumes (Wikipedia, Agriculture in Switzerland, which notes more than half is produced domestically). No verified precise import figure was found. Local food culture and short supply chains are nonetheless strong.
Local staples
Cheese (raclette and fondue), potatoes (rosti), bread, dairy, seasonal vegetables and chocolate.
Markets
Weekly town markets, typically on Saturday mornings.
In season
Grape harvest September to October; alpine cheese made over the summer alpage.
Wildlife
The Alps hold iconic wildlife such as the ibex, chamois, marmot and golden eagle, and Switzerland has run successful reintroductions of the bearded vulture and Eurasian lynx, with wolves and the occasional bear now returning.…Read more
The Alps hold iconic wildlife such as the ibex, chamois, marmot and golden eagle, and Switzerland has run successful reintroductions of the bearded vulture and Eurasian lynx, with wolves and the occasional bear now returning. Strict endemism is low because most species range across the wider Alps.
Found nowhere else
Few strict endemics; the Alpine ibex, restored from near-extinction, is emblematic.
Natural phenomena
Alpine weather turns fast — snow season Dec–Apr, hiking Jun–Sep.
When to go
Summer for hiking and lakes; winter for snow sports.
Getting around
A world-class integrated network of trains, PostBuses, boats and cable cars, easiest with a Swiss Travel Pass.
Good to know
Cards everywhere; CHF. Punctuality is sacred; German, French and Italian are all spoken.
Safety
Solo female travel: Easy. LGBTQ+: High.
Only hereThe Swiss National Park, founded in 1914, the oldest national park in the Alps and a strict wilderness reserve where nature is left entirely alone.
Assessed across 10 equally-weighted pillars
The Eco Index, pillar by pillar
75/100
Strong
The Eco Index: Switzerland
12 pillars, equally weighted, from published sources. All 12 assessed. Blanks mean unverified, never estimated.
Only here The Swiss National Park, founded in 1914, the oldest national park in the Alps and a strict wilderness reserve where nature is left entirely alone.
- Forest cover
- 32.4%
- Land protected
- 12.5%
- Organic farmland
- 17.0%
- Found nowhere else
- Few strict endemics; the Alpine ibex, restored from near-extinction, is emblematic.
- Renewable power
- 67.9%
- CO2 per person
- 3.8 t
- Air quality (AQI)
- 8.7
- Cleanest air
- High Alpine valleys such as the Engadin and the Jungfrau region.
- Water from
- Municipal supplies are drinkable in cities and towns; mountain springs are widely bottled for taste.
- Tap water
- Varies
- Safe drinking water
- 96.7%
- Cleanest water
- Alpine lakes and springs such as Lake Brienz and the Engadin.
- Springs
- Leukerbad, the largest thermal-spa resort in the Alps, plus Bad Ragaz and Scuol.
- In season
- Grape harvest September to October; alpine cheese made over the summer alpage.
- Plastic ban
- No national ban; retailers charge for bags and rely on deposits and recycling.
- Watch out for
- Intensive lowland dairy with nitrogen run-off, and heavy road freight transiting Alpine valleys.
- Solo female travel
- Easy
- LGBTQ+ acceptance
- High
- Best months
- June to September for hiking; December to March for snow.
- Getting around
- A world-class integrated network of trains, PostBuses, boats and cable cars, easiest with a Swiss Travel Pass.
- Power
- Type C/F, 230V
- Currency
- CHF
| Pillar | Score | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| WaterWhere the water comes from, and whether there is enough of it | 5/5 | Known as the water tower of Europe, Switzerland holds Alpine lakes, glaciers and the headwaters of the Rhine and Rhone, and draws roughly four-fifths of its drinking water from springs and … Full assessmentroundwater. Safely managed supply reaches about 97% of people (World Bank, 2024) and tap water, including the countless public fountains, is famously drinkable everywhere. |
| Food and farmingWhat the island actually grows, and what arrives by boat | 3/5 | Switzerland sustains a high-quality farm sector, especially dairy and cheese, supported by direct payments, but its mountainous terrain limits arable land and it imports around half of the … Full assessmentood it consumes (Wikipedia, Agriculture in Switzerland, which notes more than half is produced domestically). No verified precise import figure was found. Local food culture and short supply chains are nonetheless strong. |
| Plant based and real foodWhether you can eat unprocessed from local supply | 3/5 | Fresh produce is abundant and Switzerland has one of Europe's faster-growing vegan markets and product scenes. Full assessmentHowever traditional cuisine is centred on cheese, dairy and meat such as raclette and rosti, and local plant variety is limited by the Alpine climate and short growing season. |
| OrganicCertified and chemical free growing, which is not the same thing as plant based | 5/5 | About 17% of agricultural land is farmed organically (FiBL, 2020 data), among the highest shares in Europe, supported by strong domestic demand and retailer standards. |
| ConservationWhat is protected, and whether protection is enforced | 3/5 | About 12.5% of Swiss land is protected (World Bank, 2025), anchored by the strictly protected Swiss National Park and a network of regional nature parks. Full assessmentProtection is well enforced but modest in extent for a wealthy Alpine country, and strictly protected wilderness is limited. |
| Wildlife and endemicsWhat lives here and nowhere else on earth | 2/5 | The Alps hold iconic wildlife such as the ibex, chamois, marmot and golden eagle, and Switzerland has run successful reintroductions of the bearded vulture and Eurasian lynx, with wolves an… Full assessmentthe occasional bear now returning. Strict endemism is low because most species range across the wider Alps. |
| Natural materialsWhat you can eat from and carry here instead of plastic, and who still makes it | 3/5 | Switzerland keeps heritage textile traditions, notably the world-renowned St Gallen embroidery still used in haute couture, along with wool loden and a historic silk industry around Zurich. Full assessmentThese survive largely as specialist industry rather than everyday craft. |
| Pollution and plasticPlastic law and contamination | 4/5 | Air is very clean at about 8.7 micrograms of fine particles per cubic metre (AQLI, 2022) and litter is famously low, with near-zero landfill because non-recycled waste is incinerated for en… Full assessmentrgy. Switzerland relies on charges, deposits and recycling rather than outright plastic bans. |
| Recycling and wasteWhat actually happens to the rubbish once you have thrown it away | 5/5 | Switzerland recycles or composts roughly half of its municipal waste, one of the highest rates in the world, with the remainder incinerated for energy and almost nothing sent to landfill. Full assessmentDeposit and separate-collection systems for glass, PET, paper and aluminium are dense and well used. |
| Energy and climateClean power, carbon emissions per person and the pace of decarbonisation | 4/5 | Switzerland runs one of the cleanest electricity systems in the world, with about 95% low-carbon generation: hydropower supplies roughly 57%, nuclear about 32%, and solar and other new rene… Full assessmentables the rest, leaving fossil fuels at only around 2%. Territorial CO2 emissions are moderate at about 3.8 tonnes per person, though the country's consumption-based footprint is considerably higher because much of what it uses is manufactured abroad. Switzerland has enshrined a legally binding net-zero-by-2050 goal through its Climate and Innovation Act, approved by referendum in 2023. Renewable electricity in the 60 to 90% range and low-to-moderate emissions earn a high band, while nuclear dependence and a large imported carbon footprint keep it short of a 5. |
| Culture and peopleIndigenous and living communities, and who the money reaches | 4/5 | Living Alpine culture endures across four language regions, with working transhumance (alpage) dairy traditions, mountain festivals and strong local identity, and much mountain tourism supp… Full assessmentrts rural communities through farms and huts. The top resorts such as Zermatt and St Moritz are high-end, so benefits are uneven. |
| Living heritage and ancestral traditionsNational dance and music, and the ancestral and spiritual traditions still practised | 4/5 | Switzerland keeps an unusually vibrant living folk heritage for a wealthy, modern nation. Full assessmentYodelling, sung by more than 12,000 members of hundreds of yodelling clubs, has joined UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list, alongside the alphorn and Ländler music, while Schwingen (Alpine wrestling) and Hornussen remain widely practised. The Alpine pasture season, in which farmers still drive cattle to high summer pastures and back in the Alpabzug, is living pastoral practice recognised by UNESCO, and Basel's Fasnacht carnival and the Lötschental's Tschäggättä masked processions carry older seasonal traditions. Spiritual life is largely Christian, with residual pre-Christian Alpine customs, and while much folk culture is carefully curated, its everyday practice is real and strong. |
Before you go
Cards everywhere; CHF. Punctuality is sacred; German, French and Italian are all spoken.
Where these figures come from
- World Bank, Forest area (% of land area) AG.LND.FRST.ZS, 2023 — source
- World Bank, Terrestrial protected areas (% of land area) ER.LND.PTLD.ZS, 2025 — source
- World Bank, Renewable electricity output (% of total) EG.ELC.RNEW.ZS, 2021 — source
- World Bank, People using safely managed drinking water (% of population) SH.H2O.SMDW.ZS, 2024 — source
- University of Chicago EPIC, Air Quality Life Index (AQLI), PM2.5 annual mean, 2022 — source
- FiBL and IFOAM, The World of Organic Agriculture (organic share of agricultural land, 2020 data) — source
- Wikipedia, Agriculture in Switzerland (domestic share of food consumed) — source
- Wikipedia, List of countries by air pollution (AQLI figures) — source
- Wikipedia, List of countries by organic farmland (FiBL figures) — source
- Low Carbon Power, Switzerland electricity generation mix (hydro, nuclear, renewables) source
- Worldometer, Switzerland CO2 emissions per capita, 2023 source
- IEA, Switzerland 2023 Energy Policy Review, executive summary source
- SWI swissinfo.ch, Ten Swiss traditions on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list source
Living heritage and ancestral traditions
The culture still danced, played and believed
Switzerland keeps an unusually vibrant living folk heritage for a wealthy, modern nation. Yodelling, sung by more than 12,000 members of hundreds of yodelling clubs, has joined UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list, alongside the alphorn and Ländler music, while Schwingen (Alpine wrestling) and Hornussen remain widely practised. The Alpine pasture season, in which farmers still drive cattle to high summer pastures and back in the Alpabzug, is living pastoral practice recognised by UNESCO, and Basel's Fasnacht carnival and the Lötschental's Tschäggättä masked processions carry older seasonal traditions. Spiritual life is largely Christian, with residual pre-Christian Alpine customs, and while much folk culture is carefully curated, its everyday practice is real and strong.
- Yodelling, alphorn and Ländler music
- Schwingen (Alpine wrestling) and Hornussen
- the Alpine pasture season and Alpabzug cattle descent
- Basel Fasnacht carnival
- the Tschäggättä masked processions of the Lötschental
- flag-throwing and Trachten costume.
Sleep well, tread lightly
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