-
Human Rights
Human rights as guiding principle
Deutsche Bank’s commitment to respecting human rights is long-standing, having voluntarily endorsed and aligned with international standards along the way. While it remains the governments’ legal obligation to protect against human rights abuses by persons, including businesses, through appropriate policies, legislation, and adjudication, Deutsche Bank acknowledges its corporate responsibility pursuant to the “Protect, Respect and Remedy” framework of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
Deutsche Bank regards fundamental human rights to be universal, as these are recognized and defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Implementing human rights laws and embedding international human rights standards within a global financial institution is a complex task. In achieving this task, Deutsche Bank is guided by:
- the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights,
- the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises,
- the International Labour Organization’s Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (including its Core Labour Standards),
- the UN Global Compact.
We aim to continually improve our approach to, and the internal guidance on, human rights issues. A number of our core internal policies, including the Deutsche Bank Code of Conduct as well as our policies and guidelines like our Summary Framework on Environmental and Social Due Diligence, reflect our commitment to respect human rights.
Our approach to human rights covers all dimensions of our business from client transactions to interaction with vendors and service providers and to how we treat our own employees. Our principle is not to engage in any business activities where Deutsche Bank has substantiated evidence of material adverse human rights impacts and where it is determined through the bank’s internal processes that such adverse human rights impacts cannot be avoided or appropriately mitigated.
Respecting human rights and combatting human trafficking and modern slavery as a global bank is a highly complex subject and requires us to continually broaden our knowledge and review our policies and related due diligence processes. Remaining abreast of the latest insights and developments demands that we proactively and regularly scrutinize our policies and procedures, with input from our stakeholders.
To further develop the bank’s human rights management approach, Deutsche Bank uses and connects a range of information and sources, including in-house research, Deutsche Bank’s various complaints channels, media reports, dialog with individual business partners, consultation with independent experts, and ongoing discussion with peers on general trends and developments. Deutsche Bank’s human rights governance benefits from the exchange of ideas and experiences afforded by its membership in the Thun Group of Banks, which Deutsche Bank joined in 2012.
Report human rights misconduct in Deutsche Bank Group’s supply chain
Anyone who has indications of human-rights-related risks or incidents that have arisen as a result of Deutsche Bank economic actions is encouraged to report this directly to Deutsche Bank via email (report.misconduct@db.com) or phone (English +496991045289 or German +496991030567). The external complaints procedure provides information on how to present your concerns, how reporters are protected, and what happens after you submit the report.
Human Rights Statements
Policy Statement – Supply Chain Due Diligence Act
Statement by PCC Services GmbH pursuant to the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act § 6 (2)
Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement 2025
Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement 2024
Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement 2023
Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement 2022
Further Deutsche Bank information:
Disclaimer
The transition to a sustainable economy is a long-term undertaking. In its current stage, we are confronted with the limited availability of climate related data. Use of estimates and models is inevitable until improved data becomes available. Our expectations for increasing data quality are based on reporting obligations as currently developed. New regulations on reporting will likely become effective in the coming years. Harmonized standards and calculation methods are expected to be developed and will also improve data quality.
This website includes metrics that are subject to measurement uncertainties resulting from limitations inherent in the underlying data and methods used for determining such metrics. The selection of different, but acceptable measurement techniques can result in materially different measurements. The precision of different measurement techniques may also vary. The information set forth herein is expressed as of September 2026, and we reserve the right to update its measurement techniques and methodologies in the future.
We have measured the carbon footprint of our corporate loan portfolio as well as our European Real Estate loan portfolio in accordance with the standards we discuss in our Repository of Future Environmental Claims.
In doing so, we partly used information from third-party sources that we believe to be reliable, but which has not been independently verified by us, and we do not represent that the information is accurate or complete. The inclusion of information contained in this document should not be construed as a characterization regarding the materiality or financial impact of that information.
If emissions have not been publicly disclosed, these emissions may be estimated according to the Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials (PCAF) standards. For borrowers whose emissions have not been publicly disclosed, we estimate their emissions according to the PCAF emission factor database. Since there is no unified source of carbon emission factors (including sustainability-related database companies, consulting companies, international organizations, and local government agencies), the results of estimations may be inconsistent and uncertain.
Past performance and simulations of past performance are not a reliable indicator and therefore do not predict future results.
This website contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts; they include statements about our beliefs and expectations and the assumptions underlying them. These statements, including in relation to decarbonization, emissions reductions, net-zero pathways or other environmental objectives, are based on plans, estimates, and projections as they are currently available to the management of Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft.
Forward-looking statements therefore speak only as of the date they are made, and we undertake no obligation to publicly update any of them in consideration of new information or future events. The achievement of our objectives depends on a variety of factors and is subject to continuous monitoring and review. Further information regarding governance, implementation measures, milestones and external review is available in our Repository of Future Environmental Claims. By their very nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Several important factors could therefore cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement.
Such factors include the conditions on the financial markets in Germany, in Europe, in the United States, and elsewhere, from which we derive a substantial portion of our revenues and in which we hold a substantial portion of our assets; the development of asset prices and market volatility; potential defaults of borrowers or trading counterparties; the implementation of our strategic initiatives; the reliability of our risk management policies, procedures and methods; and other risks referenced in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Such factors are described in detail in our most recent SEC Form 20-F under the heading “Risk Factors.” Copies of this document are readily available upon request or can be downloaded from the Investor Relations website.