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KfW and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Global challenges such as increasing global warming, the coronavirus pandemic, social crisis and international conflicts shape social and political discourse. They highlight the urgent need to drive the transition to a sustainable society. Against this background, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Agenda 2030 with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the UN Summit on Sustainable Development in September 2015.
As one of the world's leading promotional banks, KfW supports these 17 goals for environmentally, economically and socially sustainable development. These efforts reinforce the bank's claim to be a pioneer in shaping the transformation towards a better, more climate-friendly and more sustainable world. Based on its mandate as a promotional bank of the German Federal Government and the German federal states, KfW has been supporting the sustainable improvement of living and economic conditions for more than seventy years.
KfW manages its business on the basis of key megatrends: climate and environmental protection (SDG 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 15 and others), digitalization and innovation (SDG 9 and others), social change (SDG 4, 10 and others) and globalization (SDG 7, 8, 9 and others). As a “responsible bank”, KfW Group contributes to meeting all SDGs by promoting and financing countries, municipalities, companies and private individuals in Germany, Europe and around the world. Since no international standards have been established to date with view to reporting SDG-contributions in the financial sector, KfW has developed its own group-wide SDG mapping. KfW is thus transparent about which positive SDG contributions can be expected from its new commitments every year.
Information on the current SDG mapping of KfW Group can be found here.
The contribution of KfW Group to the SDGs12
1 KfW's financing generally contributes to several SDGs at the same time.
2 The SDG mapping depicted was adjusted for special effects from mandated transactions amounting to 54.24 billion EUR to stabilize and secure energy supply in Germany, which were carried out on behalf of the German government in FY 2022. Further information can be found here.
KfW Group contributes to all 17 SDGs. Our focus on promotion and financing is reflected in the SDG mapping. KfW makes the biggest contributions to
- SDG 7 – Affordable and Clean Energy
- SDG 8: – Decent Work and Economic Growth
- SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities
- SDG 13 – Climate Action
KfW is a pioneer in the banking sector with its volume-based SDG mapping. KfW largely updates its annual SDG mapping automatically on the basis of the new commitments made the previous financial year.
SDG mapping of KfW Group
| UN SDG - Sustainable Development Goals | Financial year 2022 in EUR million | Financial year 2021 in EUR million |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 1 No Poverty | 4,012 | 3,565 |
| SDG 2 Zero Hunger | 742 | 795 |
| SDG 3 Good Health and Well-Being | 2,723 | 3,571 |
| SDG 4 Quality Education | 4,206 | 4,828 |
| SDG 5 Gender Equality | 565 | 650 |
| SDG 6 Clean Water and Sanitation | 1,809 | 1,680 |
| SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy | 57,690 | 51,435 |
| SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth | 40,468* | 35,217 |
| SDG 9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure | 20,041 | 12,736 |
| SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities | 4,500 | 4,233 |
| SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities | 49,962 | 55,100 |
| SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production | 542 | 552 |
| SDG 13 Climate Action | 57,287 | 53,251 |
| SDG 14 Life Below Water | 217 | 288 |
| SDG 15 Life on Land | 990 | 1,430 |
| SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions | 592 | 897 |
| SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals | 1,963 | 1,854 |
*The SDG mapping depicted was adjusted for special effects from mandated transactions amounting to 54.24 billion EUR to stabilize and secure energy supply in Germany, which were carried out on behalf of the German government in FY 2022. Further information can be found here.
The contribution of KfW Group to the SDGs
Questions and answers
Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development was adopted by the Member States of the United Nations in September 2015. At the core of Agenda 2030 are 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which address all three dimensions of sustainability for the first time: social, environmental and economic. The goals are universal and therefore apply equally to developing, emerging and industrialised countries. With Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, the international community expresses its conviction that global challenges can only be solved by working together and at the same time provides a framework for a sustainable development process.
