Policies & commitments
We want to maintain and develop dedicated control frameworks and processes to turn regulatory challenges into business opportunities and steer decision-making based on impact measurement
To implement the Group’s sustainability strategy, Deutsche Bank has set its target to develop and maintain robust governance and risk management for environmental and social issues.
The integration of environmental and social matters into our decision-making processes is a key component of our understanding of responsible corporate behaviour.
Our environmental and social due diligence is guided by internationally recognized principles and standards, including:
Policies & statements – Downloads
*Summary Framework on Environmental and Social Due Diligence covers:
- Cross-sectoral standards (Human Rights, deforestation, sensitive and protected locations including World Heritage Sites, and climate considerations)
- Sector-specific standards (Agricultural Commodities and Forestry, Hydropower, Nuclear Power, Thermal Coal Power and Mining, Oil and Gas, Maritime Transport and Infrastructure, Fisheries and Marine Aquaculture, and Metals and Mining)
2024
Net-zero target for Commercial Aviation established2023
Intitial Transition Plan incl. additional net-zero targets (Coal Mining, Cement, Shipping) published2023
Financed emissions from European residential real estate loan portfolio disclosed2022
Sustainable finance target of €200+ bn (€215 bn at YE 2022) outperformed2022
Net Zero Forum for carbon-intensive transactions and transition plan assessment established2022
Net-zero targets for most carbon intensive sectors (Oil & Gas, Power Generation, Automotive, Steel) published2022
Financed emissions from corporate loan book disclosed2022
Sustainable finance target of €200+ bn from YE 2023 to YE 2022 accelerated and target of €500 bn by YE 2025 announced2021
Net Zero commitment signed2021
Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials joined2020
German financial sector’s Commitment on Climate Action signed2020
Sustainable finance target of €200+ bn by YE 2025 announced2020
Green Financing Framework published2020
Equator Principles signed2020
Fossil Fuel (Coal Mining and Oil & Gas Policy updated)2020
Sustainable Finance Framework published2019
Value Balancing Alliance (Founding member of the Value Balancing Alliance)2015 - 2019
Environmental and Social Policy framework substantially revised2015 - 2019
Coal Mining Policy introduced2015 - 2019
Paris Pledge for Action signed2018
TCFD (Formal supporter of the recommendations developed by the Financial Stability Board’s Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosure (TCFD))2015 - 2019
UN Principles for Responsible Banking signed2014
Green Bond Principles (Supporter of the Green Bond Principles as part of a coalition of twelve major financial institutions)2008
PRI (Signatory of the Principles for Responsible Investment)2000
UN Global Compact (founding signatory)Selected memberships and commitments
To underpin its long-standing commitment to sustainability, Deutsche Bank formally endorsed universal sustainability frameworks and initiatives. The bank is a signatory of the Principles for Responsible Banking (2019), a signatory to the ten principles of the UN Global Compact (2000) and committed to the Equator Principles (2020).
Equator Principles
In February 2022, Deutsche Bank published its first Equator Principles Implementation Report outlining its progress, due diligence process and responsibilities. This publication followed the bank’s formal adoption of the Equator Principles in July 2020. The Equator Principles are an internationally recognized benchmark for determining, assessing, and managing environmental and social risks in project finance. Here you can find ongoing information on Equator Principles Implementation at Deutsche Bank.
In February 2022, Deutsche Bank published its first Equator Principles Implementation Report outlining its progress, due diligence process and responsibilities. This publication followed the bank’s formal adoption of the Equator Principles in July 2020. The Equator Principles are an internationally recognized benchmark for determining, assessing, and managing environmental and social risks in project finance. Here you can find ongoing information on Equator Principles Implementation at Deutsche Bank.
UN Global Compact
We want to be a bank that contributes to a greener (E), more socially responsible (S) and better managed (G) economy, and that is more committed than ever to the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact. Deutsche Bank has been Founding Signatory of the UN Global Compact in 2000.
Principles for Responsible Banking
In 2019 Deutsche Bank became a founding signatory of The Principles for Responsible Banking (PRB). The PRB was set up in partnership between the founding banks and the United Nations. Currently more than 300 signatories commit to applying the framework to align core strategy, decision-making, lending and investment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement.
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.