Turning ideas into reality

Green Bonds

A sustainable investment

According to the European Commission, the real estate sector is responsible for around 36 per cent of energy-related CO2 emissions in the EU. The sustainable transformation of the real estate sector therefore plays a central role in combating climate change. As al leading real estate bank, and a major issuer of Pfandbriefe in Germany, we are taking responsibility for contributing to the transition toward a sustainable real estate industry. An investment in our Green Pfandbriefe offers the opportunity to participate in this change.

Our sustainability strategy

Glass front of office building with bright green trees, above blue sky with white cloud

Green Pfandbrief

By issuing Green Pfandbriefe, we are increasing the transparency of the ecological quality of the loan portfolio and offering our investors the opportunity to make targeted investments in the sustainable transformation of the real estate sector and to contribute to a lower-carbon economy. In addition to the usual high requirements of the Pfandbrief Act, the issued covered bonds also meet the vdp minimum standards for green covered bonds. In addition, our Green Bond Framework is based on the ICMA Green Bond Principles, which has been confirmed by the sustainability agency ISS-Corporate in the context of the Second Party Opinion.

Green Bond Framework

The Green Bond Framework defines all the important characteristics of our Green Pfandbriefe. It is subject to regular review and will be revised as necessary. The current version was further developed in 2024 and, in particular, adapted to the new minimum standards of the Association of German Pfandbrief Banks (vdp) and moved closer to the criteria of the EU taxonomy for a significant contribution to climate protection. In particular, the energy efficiency criteria of the properties are used to define green assets.

Reporting

Trust and transparency are of particular importance in sustainable investments. In order to gain this trust, we provide the highest level of transparency regarding the use of proceeds from the issue. We therefore report on the allocation of proceeds and the climate impact of our Green Pfandbriefe by means of regular allocation and impact reporting’s. To ensure that the methodology used meets the highest quality standards, we have mandated Drees & Sommer, a renowned consulting firm, to calculate the climate impact.