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Press Release from 2018-04-27 / Group, Sustainability

Pioneer and trendsetter: latest KfW Sustainability Report “Promoting perspectives – empowering people” now available

  • Major contribution to realising the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals
  • 2017: EUR 33.2 billion for climate action and environmental protection projects
  • Ambitious sustainability programme for 2018

Today KfW published the first part of its Sustainability Report 2017 entitled “Promoting perspectives – empowering people”. It is the first report released exclusively online and is published in accordance with the new CSR Directive Implementation Act (CSR-RUG). From now on it will be published annually. As is customary in the industry, it was prepared in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards. The second part of the KfW Sustainability Report is an online magazine and will be published at the beginning of June with a focus on human rights.

“Sustainability is part of our DNA. We are often sustainability pioneers and trendsetters, for example in the Green Bond segment. We also contribute to the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations with our green finance transactions and our commitment in the areas of education, healthcare and poverty reduction, and we assume responsibility for future generations around the world”, said Dr Günther Bräunig, Chief Executive Officer of KfW Group.

KfW’s sustainability principles include, for example, the requirement to focus about a third (35%) of total new commitment volume on the key area of climate action and environmental protection. In 2017 that share even reached 43% (EUR 33.2 billion).

KfW also rises up to the demands for sustainable action as an employer, for example through in-house professional development programmes, inclusion schemes, family-friendly policies and the implementation of its gender equality plan. Thus, it was able to increase the share of women in management positions to more than 31% in 2017.

In addition, KfW makes use of digitalisation as an instrument for developing innovative banking services and in sustainability-related financing activities. This applies to the financing of digitalisation in production processes of German small and medium-sized enterprises, for example. Promoting digital technologies such as applications for online health services or mobile payment systems in international cooperation also enables more efficient processes and thus facilitates sustainable development. Digitalisation within KfW’s own bank operation makes it possible to reduce paper consumption through online loan and grant applications, for example.

A comprehensive programme with around 80 measures was put in place for the year 2018 to further improve KfW’s sustainability performance. The key elements of the programme include expanding sustainable financing transactions, the fight against corruption and offences, strengthening responsible procurement and balancing work and family life.

The Sustainability Report is available at:
Sustainability Report 2017