For this, we were awarded the full score of 100 by the F.A.Z Institute and the IMWF Institute for Management and Economic Research and were named environmental champion in the fund investment company category. This means that we set the benchmark for all other companies surveyed within the industry.

In our philosophy, avoiding emissions takes precedence over offsetting.

Over the past 10 years, we have been able to reduce unavoidable CO2 emissions by a good 8,000 metric tons - that is around 53 percent.

In 2021, as in 2020, we emitted around 7,000 metric tons and offset them with two projects from renowned suppliers via the purchase of decommissioning certificates.

The selected projects in the fields of renewable energy generation and energy efficiency not only meet strict quality standards, but also have to contribute to the achievement of the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals. This means that the projects must be implemented primarily in developing and emerging countries. We also have the quality of the projects verified by an independent body.

CO2 offsetting is becoming increasingly important for many of our savings banks and institutional customers and offer the following service. Through Deka, in cooperation with VfU (Association for Environmental Protection and Sustainability in Financial Institutions), savings banks and institutional customers can calculate their carbon footprint and reduce their emissions from business operations from a selection of offset projects chosen by us.

This is how we at Deka live the issue of sustainability in banking operations:

• Lighting at Deka is provided by LED lamps.
• In areas where there is little activity, we use motion detectors. This means that the light only comes on when we really need it.
• We control the light automatically using daylight. After work, the lighting is switched off at three different times. If someone is still in the office, they simply switch it back on again. This ensures that lights are not left on overnight. This does not include electrical appliances.
• Increase of the room temperature in the rooms of the IT incl. installation of a monitoring device of the set temperature (reduction of power consumption for cooling).
• We use 100 percent green electricity.
• We use instantaneous water heaters to save energy in toilets and showers.
• With water-saving fittings employees use less water when washing their hands.
• We separate waste in the Deka offices.
• We conduct regular “waste audits” at our disposal companies. In these audits, we check whether the companies sort the waste correctly and whether the waste is correctly separated in the offices.
• A reusable cup deposit system has been introduced in the cafeteria and canteens.
• We use 100 per cent recycled paper in the offices.
• “Double-sided printing” is set as standard on our printers and copiers. This saves paper.
• All Deka Group employees use energy-saving PCs.
• In our office supplies catalog, only goods manufactured according to ecological criteria can be ordered.
• Our vehicle fleet includes hybrid models – i.e. cars that also run on electric power. We are also gradually adding fully electric cars to our fleet.
• Our sites are gradually being equipped with charging stations for e-vehicles.
• We have a special system for our employees to lease bicycles.
• By 2024, we will be operating in new energy-saving buildings in Frankfurt. In absolute terms, we will thus consume up to 70% less energy in the form of electricity and heat.

Even with small changes we can achieve great things: This can be seen by the switch from disposable to reusable cups in the Deka Group canteens at the Frankfurt site. The cups saved to date would reach a height of more than 40 kilometres if you stacked them up – more than 200 times as high as our skyscraper in Frankfurt.