The Deka Group’s sustainability reports and ratings
We include issues of vital importance in our business strategy. At Deka, we have anchored sustainability in our business strategy – this can be seen in the chapter “Sustainability strategy of the Deka Group”. This means we do not have a separate sustainability strategy. The rating agencies have also confirmed our sustainable corporate management with good and steadily improving sustainability ratings.
The Deka sustainability reports
- Business strategy
Since the 2015 financial year, sustainability aspects have been an integral part of the business strategy and thus a core component of the business policy orientation, which is thus also transparent to the Board of Directors and the supervisory authority. - Implementation
We implement the guidelines in five areas of activity: Sustainable Corporate Governance, Sustainable Products, Sustainable Human Resources Management, Own Banking Operations and Social Engagement. - Reporting
Since 2009, we have published a sustainability report every year in accordance with the GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) international reporting standard. Since 2017, this report has been externally audited in accordance with the CSR Directive. The joint separate non-financial report (nfB) of DekaBank and the Deka Group is published in German and English. - Ratings
Rating agencies analyse and evaluate the sustainability performance of the Deka Group on the basis of the sustainability report. The Deka Group's ESG ratings confirm the high level of its sustainability-related measures.
The sustainability report also shows the progress we have made in implementing the principles of the UN Global Compact. We have been committed to its ten principles since 2011. We are committed to respecting human and labour rights, protecting the environment and fighting corruption.
The sustainability principles first formulated in 2022 were updated in the year under review. The principles were developed further and made more specific in order to take account of current regulatory developments, such as the appointment of a Human Rights Officer, as well as the continued establishment of sustainability as an integral part of the corporate culture.
In addition, the Deka Group reports on other goals and measures identified in the materiality analysis which are of great interest to stakeholders, in particular our customers, rating agencies, NGOs and the general public. These include in particular the impact of the Deka Group’s commitment to sustainability on environmental and social issues, respect for human rights and the fight against corruption and bribery. In this context, the Deka Group has been reporting since 2022 in accordance with the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) on the various activities in relation to actively dealing with the causes and consequences of climate change and the resulting risks. Furthermore, Deka takes into account the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.
The Deka Group’s ratings
DekaBank is an issuer of public bonds, mortgage bonds, bearer bonds and certificates under the Green Bond Framework. We take great care to meet the requirements of the sustainability rating agencies so that we can successfully place our bonds on the market. In addition, the agencies’ criteria reflect the requirements of important Deka Group stakeholder groups – such as environmental associations, human rights organisations and trade unions. We use the sustainability ratings as the basis for the regular analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of our sustainability management – including in comparison with other banks.
Sustainability ratings
The rating scales of the rating agencies:
- MSCI: AAA to CCC (Peer Group: Asset Management & Custody Banks)
- ISS-ESG: A+ to D- (Peer Group: Financials/Public & Regional Banks)
- Sustainalytics: 0 - 40+ (Peer Group: Asset Management & Custody Services)
- Moody's ESG: 0 – 100/100 (Peer Group: Retail & Specialised Banks)
THE USE BY DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale (“Deka”) OF ANY MSCI ESG RESEARCH LLC OR ITS AFFILIATES (“MSCI”) DATA, AND THE USE OF MSCI LOGOS, TRADEMARKS, SERVICE MARKS OR INDEX NAMES HEREIN, DO NOT CONSTITUTE A SPONSORSHIP, ENDORSEMENT, RECOMMENDATION, OR PROMOTION OF Deka BY MSCI. MSCI SERVICES AND DATA ARE THE PROPERTY OF MSCI OR ITS INFORMATION PROVIDERS, AND ARE PROVIDED ‘AS-IS’ AND WITHOUT WARRANTY. MSCI NAMES AND LOGOS ARE TRADEMARKS OR SERVICE MARKS OF MSCI.
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Moody’s ESG Solutions Group (rebranding in the process of the acquisition of V.E) is a business unit of Moody’s Corporation serving the growing global demand for ESG and climate insights. The group empowers organizations to make better, more sustainable decisions. By providing data, analysis, analytical tools and intelligence, Moody’s ESG Solutions enables leaders to assess ESG risks and opportunities, strengthen sustainability action plans and communicate with key stakeholders. The group also complements Moody’s long-established record in risk management expertise. Its comprehensive offering includes ESG scores, climate data, Sustainability Ratings and Sustainable Finance certifier services that help fulfil the broad spectrum of ESG-related goals in risk management, equity and credit markets.
Download our sustainability reports here:
Older reports
Reporting under Article 8 of the Taxonomy Regulation
For this reason, the EU Commission has created an EU-wide classification system with Regulation (EU) 2020/852 (hereinafter "Taxonomy Regulation" or "Taxonomy Regulation"). According to this Taxonomy Regulation, around 100 economic activities along 13 sectors are to be evaluated in terms of their impact on the climate and the environment.
Under Article 8 of the Taxonomy Regulation, the Deka Group is also required to classify relevant business using certain assessment criteria. For the 2021 reporting year, the Deka Group's business was therefore analyzed for the first time with regard to its taxonomy eligibility.