Explanation of theSustainable Development Goals

Transforming our world: As part of the company, Commerz Real AG contributes to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

What are the Sustainable Development Goals?

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations aim to ensure sustainable development from an economic, social and environmental perspective. The 17 objectives, with a total of 169 sub-objectives, address economic growth, disparities in standard of living and equal opportunities, sustainable use of natural resources and human rights. In September 2015, the 2030 targets were adopted by consensus by the United Nations General Assembly in New York. In order to enable concrete action, the SDGs should be implemented by all states, civil society and the private sector, above all at regional and local level.

Commerz Real’s contribution to the SDGs

Commerz Real AG is also responsible for contributing to the SDGs. We have the greatest influence on this through our investment and financing portfolio. But we also focus on goals in our operations, which we align our structures and our actions in the company accordingly. In the overview, we show how Commerz Real contributes to the achievement of the respective targets at the operational level.

SDG 3: Health and well-being

Ensuring a healthy life for all people of all ages and promoting their well-being

Health is a precious asset – and one that we take extremely seriously as an employer. With our occupational health management, we create the framework for a workplace where physical and mental well-being is important. With our healthcare providers, we offer employees a modern product portfolio from occupational medicine to our Employee Assistance Program. This provides competent advice for employees and their family members living in the household in difficult professional and life situations. In addition, we inform and raise awareness about the importance of mental and physical health with the “Coffee & Destress” event series. Experts talk openly with employees about topics such as burnout, resilience, but also women’s and men’s health and nutrition.

For more information on our employee health management, see our ESG framework.

SDG 4: High-quality education

Ensuring inclusive, equal and high-quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all

Education and the reduction of disadvantages are core aspects of our efforts to increase social sustainability. For this reason, Commerz Real is committed to both the further training of its employees and to educational formats in the districts that we support in the regions of our two main locations as part of our corporate citizenship strategy “Deine Hood”. We support charities in Wiesbaden Erbenheim-Hochfeld and Düsseldorf-Flingern Süd with donations in cash, time and in kind.

For more information about our social commitment, please see our ESG framework.

Within Commerz Real, we are convinced that traditional training offers are often no longer sufficient to keep up with the ever-faster societal transformation. There is an increasing demand for solutions that are tailored to the individual needs of employees and their respective job environment - both in terms of expertise and technology as well as in terms of time and location. The “Lernzeit+” offer fully meets these requirements. It follows the guiding principle “Learn what and when you want.” Since 2022, all employees have been able to spend up to twelve hours of their working hours per quarter on further training or taking part in training offers of their choice. This offer is supplemented by regular virtual information formats that teach employees about topics such as sustainability and digitalization.

For more information on our commitment to employee development, please see our ESG framework.

SDG 5: Equality of Gender

Achieve gender equality and empowerment for all women and girls

The work of our two social partner organisations in neighbourhoods with high social needs in Wiesbaden and Düsseldorf focuses particularly on the situation of women and girls. They are the ones who are particularly often affected by precarious living and family conditions. Through needs-based, target-group-specific and low-threshold offers, our charity partners contribute to increasing the education and participation opportunities of young girls and women. As part of our corporate citizenship strategy, we support established programs and the necessary infrastructure with financial, time and non-cash donations.

For more information about our social commitment, please see our ESG framework.

SDG 7: Affordable and clean energy

Secure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

As part of the Commerzbank Group, Commerz Real AG has set itself the goal of reducing its entire operations to net zero by 2040 as part of its Net Zero strategy. We have been purchasing exclusively green electricity from our main locations in Wiesbaden and Düsseldorf since 2019 and 2022 respectively. In this way, we are also supplying the 37 charging stations (as of July 2024) to supply employees’ electric vehicles with clean energy. In addition, we strive to reduce our operational energy consumption wherever possible. In addition to converting to LEDs, this also includes equipping employees with energy-saving IT hardware.

For more information on our progress in energy procurement, please see our ESG framework.

SDG 8: Decent work and growth

Promote sustainable, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, productive full employment and decent work for all

Qualified and motivated employees are the basis for the business success of Commerz Real AG. ~1.000 colleagues around the world contribute their knowledge and experience to the work processes. The basic understanding of fairness and respectful treatment as well as diversity in practice are firmly anchored in our corporate values and our principles of conduct.

For more information about our principles of cooperation, please see our Code of Conduct.

SDG 10: Less inequalities

Reducing inequality within and between countries

Reducing inequalities is a core objective of the work of our social partners. The organisations provide needs-based and low-threshold offers aimed at increasing the education and participation opportunities of those affected. Through our collaboration, we support programs and projects that create public, safe and inclusive spaces. In the past, this has already included financing community facilities, support for renovation work and the creation of community gardens with playgrounds. These measures promote social interaction and create meeting places that are often missing in these districts.

SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities

Making cities and settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

Social work requires public, safe and inclusive spaces. As part of our district partnerships, a focus of our commitment is therefore on the facilities of our charitable partner organisations, which are the first point of contact for local social work. Our contribution so far has ranged from financing a kitchen to providing practical support for painting the walls and creating a public garden with a playground. Attractive places create opportunities for encounters that are often not a matter of course in districts with high social demand.

For more information about our social commitment, please see our ESG framework.

SDG 12: Sustainable consumption and production

Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

A common task of our sustainability unit together with the organisational department is to systematically promote corporate environmental protection in all its facets, and with the involvement of employees, in order to continuously make the actions of Commerz Real more sustainable. The main objectives include optimising resource consumption, increasing the use of renewable energies and reducing direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions.

With our Purchasing Policy, we have established in writing the consideration of sustainability aspects when purchasing goods and services. In addition to other qualitative factors, sustainability is included in the selection process for all purchases. With our Net Zero strategy, we are setting an additional focus on the topic of sustainable sourcing: By 2040, we aim for a climate-neutral supplier portfolio. To this end, we will be requesting information on sustainable orientation from all service providers in our onboarding tool from 2024. In this way, we are laying the foundation for jointly steering towards zero emissions with our suppliers and service providers.

For more information about our commitment to sustainable operations, see our ESG framework.

SDG 13: Climate action

Take immediate action to combat climate change and its impacts

With our Net Zero strategy, we have set ourselves a high goal: By 2040, the company’s own emissions are to be reduced to net zero. To achieve this goal, we have been measuring our operational CO₂ footprint annually since 2020. This serves as the basis for setting strategic priorities for reduction measures. In addition to practical measures such as the electrification of our fleet by 2030, this also includes anchoring sustainability requirements in the written regulations of Commerz Real. For example, the Group-wide Business Travel Policy contains provisions on the preference of rail travel over CO₂-intensive modes of mobility such as cars or air travel.

In addition to direct climate change mitigation measures, climate change formation is also an important concern. Here, too, Commerz Real makes its contribution - specifically through its social commitment. In cooperation with the non-profit organisation Hope4School, we enable children to participate in so-called “climate camps”. The format playfully introduces children from schools in the partner districts to all topics related to climate change.

For more information about our commitment to climate change mitigation, see our ESG framework.

SDG 15: Life on land

Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of land ecosystems

For us as CR, it is important to think sustainability holistically. Climate change and biodiversity loss are two closely interlinked phenomena, which is why we want to understand and reduce our negative impact on nature in addition to climate change mitigation measures. For this purpose, we conduct risk monitoring and report on our impact on life on land. Based on this, we strive to reduce negative impacts through measures, for example through insect-friendly management of the green areas of the properties we manage.

With pilot projects, we are looking for ways to promote biodiversity and thus improve working and living conditions in real estate, for example. For example, with green spaces, we hope not only for lower temperatures, but also for greater employee well-being.

For more information about our efforts to protect biodiversity, please see our ESG framework.

SDG 16: Peace, justice, institutions

Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all people and build high-performing, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

Integrity is deeply rooted in our corporate culture and requires every individual to act responsibly so that their activities for Commerz Real are in line with the applicable laws, voluntary commitments and internal guidelines. The globally binding Code of Conduct provides employees with guidance on how to act correctly and ethically in their daily work. The focus of compliance activities is on preventing and detecting money laundering, terrorist financing, market abuse (insider trading and market manipulation), fraud, corruption and other criminal activities in the business environment as well as investor protection.

More information about our Code of Conduct can be found in our Code of Conduct.