Author: switzerlandtimes.ch

Switzerland generates around 110,000 tons of used clothing a year, reported SRF. Most of it is unwanted. Only 1 in 100 items finds a buyer, according to Sascha Sardella, the operations manager at Tell-Tex, one of Switzerland’s largest textile collection organisations. Second hand clothes can’t compete with cheap new clothes from China, he said. Cheap fast fashion means more and more second hand clothes are either burned or end up in landfill, often in African nations. What can be done to stem this waste and the environmental damage it does? In 2026, extended producer responsibility will come into force in…

Swiss vote regularly on a wide range of proposals and government decisions. Since 1848, in addition to general elections, Swiss voters have been called to vote on 677 referenda and initiatives. 48% percent of these votes were accepted. Between 1848 and 1900 there was roughly one of these votes a year. Since 1991, there have been close to 10 a year. Broadly, outside of general elections, there are three kinds of votes in Switzerland: mandatory referenda, optional referenda and popular initiatives. A mandatory referendum is typically required when parliament wishes to modify the constitution. To be accepted these votes must…

ETH Zurich remains the best university in continental Europe, according to the World University Ranking, published by Times Higher Education. ETH Zurich was ranked eleventh worldwide in the 2024 ranking, the same position as in 2023. The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), the next Swiss university in the ranking moved up one position from last year to 32nd. The global winner for 2024 was the University of Oxford, which has held first place for the ninth time in a row. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University followed in second and third places. Such rankings…

Relative to the price of many things, the price of milk in Switzerland is low. A litre of milk in a Swiss supermarket typically costs between CHF 1.50 and CHF 2.00. Plant milk alternatives often cost close to CHF 3.00. Of the retail price paid for milk only 70 cents makes it into the pockets of dairy farmers. This week, dairy producers in Zurich announced the creation of an association to set a higher price. The current price of 70 cents is unacceptable and puts many farmers at risk, said a representative. The group is calling for a minimum price…

In 2024, the net number of foreign nationals moving Switzerland was 83,400, 15.6% lower than in 2023, according to the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM). By the end of 2024, the total number of residents in Switzerland without Swiss passports had risen to 2.36 million, roughly 26% of Switzerland’s population of nearly 9 million. Most immigrants in 2024 came from EU and EFTA nations (71%) and most (52%) came to work. Of the 170,600 foreign nationals coming to live in Switzerland in 2024, 52% came to work, 25% came as part of a family, 10% came to study, 7% came…

How much road tax must be paid to drive an electric car in Switzerland varies significantly depending on the canton. It can also change with little warning, reported SRF this week. Annual vehicle tax on the fully electric Tesla Model Y Long Range costs CHF 1,353 in Geneva. In Zurich, Solothurn, Nidwalden, Glarus and St. Gallen road tax for the same vehicle is zero. Thurgau (48), Obwalden (63), Bern (111), Graubunden (111), Basel (129), Valais (160), Vaud (168), Neuchatel (260), Zug (260), Ticino (283), Schaffhausen (330), Uri (384), Jura (403), Aargau (420), Basel Landschaft (433), Fribourg (568), Appenzell Innerrhoden (686),…

Switzerland has a new supercomputer, which was inaugurated by Federal Councilor Guy Parmelin this week at the national high-performance computing center in Lugano, reported RTS. The computer, known as “Alps” is one of the most powerful supercomputers in the world. To perform the calculations that “Alps” manages in one day, would require a standard laptop 40,000 years. The new supercomputer was developed to meet the computing requirements of science, AI in particular. The large amount of data and computations required by the neural networks at the heart of some AI models require enormous computing power. Weather, climate and medical models…

Every year, Switzerland tests its apocalyptic-sounding sirens on the first Wednesday of February. On 5 February 2025, over 5,000 sirens sounded throughout Switzerland during the siren test. 99% of the sirens tested worked perfectly, reported the authorities. As part of the test more than 12 million push notifications were sent from the Alertswiss app during the course of the day. Several cantons also tested their mobile sirens. Sirens were installed across the country starting in 1936 and testing was introduced in 1970, before becoming compulsory in 1988. Switzerland has roughly 5,000 fixed sirens and 2,200 mobile ones. 600 of which…

On 20 December 2024, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited Bern to conclude the long negotiations between Switzerland and the EU on their future relationship. The terms agreed between Brussels and Bern now need to be formalised in legal form. However, it is likely that those against the relationship or the form of it will oppose it. A key question is whether the treaties agreed with the EU will by subject to a mandatory or an optional referendum. This week, a parliamentary committee concluded that a mandatory referendum is not required, reported SRF. A mandatory referendum must achieve…

The results of a survey published on 31 October 2024 show widespread discrimination and abuse in Switzerland’s military. The survey was aimed at gauging the level of discrimination and abuse within the Swiss military and focused in particular on discrimination and abuse against women. Unlike men, women in Switzerland are not forced to do military service, however some volunteer. The survey was given to all 2,085 female military personnel and to the same number of male recruits. 1,126 people completed the survey. Discrimination and sexualised verbal, nonverbal and physical violence based on gender and/or sexual orientation are prevalent in the…