Environment: dedicated to preserving our planet

Through our environmental programme, we support organisations and initiatives working in the fields of environmental conservation, climate action, biodiversity, species protection and urban green spaces. Our role is to help enable projects and partnerships that contribute to these objectives.

 
The initiatives we support address a range of local environmental priorities, including the preservation of forests, farmland and urban green spaces, as well as projects relating to oceans, coastlines, rivers and wetlands. In addition, we support educational initiatives that promote understanding of environmental topics and help build knowledge and skills relevant to environmental and climate-related challenges.

Since 2010, our colleagues have planted over half a million trees worldwide. The benefits of restoring woodland include climate resilience, habitat preservation, cleaner air and improved water supply. Trinkwasserwald in Germany is one of many projects we support globally. This partnership helps turn evergreen forests into mixed woodlands by planting heat-resistant deciduous species among the conifers, which improves climate protection by absorbing more CO₂ from the atmosphere. More than 5,000 Deutsche Bank employees have planted trees across Germany together with Trinkwasserwald e.V., helping to create 109.3 hectares of mixed woodland. According to calculations by Trinkwasserwald e.V., this is associated with the generation of an additional 86 million litres of drinking water per year.

Increasing water supply is also the goal of our project with Swades Foundation in India. Farmers in the state of Maharashtra have been struggling to make a living due to lack of water to irrigate their crops. The installation of drip irrigation systems that transfer rainwater to farmlands, powered by solar pumps, will now allow these farmers to grow crops year-round, improving land use and providing a better standard of living for the farmers and their families. The systematic recycling of rainwater also replenishes water resources in a region increasingly affected by climate change. So far, more than 1,500 farmers have received training on this new method of crop cultivation.

South Africa has been grappling with the challenge of food security for a long time. A partnership between Deutsche Bank South Africa Foundation and Food & Trees for Africa creates food gardens that benefit local communities in multiple ways. Combining agriculture and urban green spaces, the project plants a mix of fruit trees and shade trees. These gardens improve the supply of fresh and affordable food locally and also provide protection from the elements.

The ocean is a vast ecosystem that supports the lives and livelihoods of more than three billion people around the world. Yet it’s also under threat from climate change, environmental damage and pollution. Marine life in the Pelagos Sanctuary, an area of the Mediterranean Sea between Italy, France and Monaco, is especially vulnerable due to the heavy concentration of global maritime traffic on this route. Fondazione Deutsche Bank Italia is working with WWF Italy to raise awareness of the importance of local marine ecosystems for biodiversity and all the communities connected to the Mediterranean’s blue economy.

Plastic waste in waterways is a challenge faced by many communities. Through our Waterways Protection Project in the UK, delivered in partnership with Hubbub, we support initiatives that help remove litter from rivers and canals in London and Birmingham. The programme brings together colleagues and local school students and includes educational activities focused on waterways and local environmental topics.