Deutsche Wohnen supports campaign of Stiftung 2˚ 69 German companies demand a drive to achieve climate neutrality
As the detailed exploratory talks on forming a new government get underway, Deutsche Wohnen has joined with 68 other companies from all key sectors of the economy to demand an ambitious, cross-sectoral climate policy that will achieve the goals set by the Paris Climate Agreement. This campaign was initiated by the alliance of German businesses for climate protection – Stiftung 2˚.
The appeal aims to steer Germany onto a clear, reliable and plannable path towards climate neutrality. The companies involved are demanding from the new federal government that, within the first 100 days of taking office, it should embark on a drive to achieve climate neutrality. Following the holistic approach of the Green Deal of the EU Commission, the campaign is demanding that this drive should contain a package of specific measures to ensure that the goal of climate neutrality can be reliably met by 2045. The campaign goes on to argue that important technologies and infrastructures have to be developed more quickly in order to make the transition to climate neutrality. In its view, this applies particularly to the development of renewable forms of energy and the power supply systems that this requires, climate-friendly industrial production facilities and transport infrastructure, and the energy-efficient refurbishment of buildings.
Michael Zahn, CEO of Deutsche Wohnen SE: “Whilst there is broad agreement about the significance of climate change, the implementation of measures on climate protection remains a major challenge. So that we can finally begin to act, it is important that the next federal government should unleash the powers of innovation in the economy and work pragmatically to reduce barriers to progress.”
Deutsche Wohnen itself is pursuing an ambitious climate strategy. Accordingly, the company plans to make its holdings climate-neutral by as early as 2040. Building on the work it has already done in previous years, Deutsche Wohnen will invest above all in the energy-efficient modernisation of its buildings and in the low-carbon generation of heat and electricity. To achieve this, it is critically important to deploy solar cell systems and to interlink local heat and hot water generation with efficient combined heat and power (CHP) plants. Equally, it is intended that climate-friendly new builds, building automation and smart applications for regulating heating should contribute to achieving the goal of climate neutrality.
The participating companies include well-known representatives of all the relevant sectors and key industries, for example the commodities and chemicals industry, mechanical engineering and vehicle construction, financial services, and large companies from the areas of real estate, mobility and trade. Together, they employ just under a million people in Germany and over five million worldwide. Their combined global turnover is approximately one trillion euros.
As Sabine Nallinger, Managing Director of Stiftung 2˚, explains, “’Achieving climate neutrality’ should be the motto for the new federal government; in climate policy it must act with determination and, in doing so, will be able to count on the support of this broad alliance of companies. Right now, it is important to push our idea of a policy drive towards climate-neutrality into the centre of the process of forming a new government. Just a few weeks before the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow and in advance of the important decisions on the ‘Fit for 55’ package of measures by the EU, this campaign is also helping our alliance of companies to send an important message to the European and international community.”
Further information:
You can find the whole declaration here in German and English: An Implementation Programme for Climate Neutrality. Now.
Deutsche Wohnen
Deutsche Wohnen is one of the leading publicly listed residential property companies in Europe. The business focus of the company is on managing its own portfolio of residential properties in dynamic metropolitan regions and conurbations in Germany. Deutsche Wohnen sees itself as having both a social responsibility and a duty to maintain and newly develop good-quality and affordable housing in vibrant residential neighbourhoods. As at 30 June 2021, the portfolio comprised a total of around 158,000 units, of which 155,000 were residential and around 3,000 commercial. Deutsche Wohnen SE is listed in the Deutsche Börse’s DAX and is also included in the leading indices EPRA/NAREIT, STOXX Europe 600, GPR 250 and DAX 50 ESG.
About Stiftung 2°
Stiftung 2° is an initiative of chief executives, business leaders, and family-owned companies. Its goal is to call upon politicians to establish effective market-based frameworks for climate action and to support the problem-solving competence of German companies. The foundation is named for its most important goal: to keep average global warming well below 2 degrees Celsius. The foundation’s supporters are: AIDA Cruises, ALDI SÜD Dienstleistungs-GmbH & Co. oHG, Allianz SE, Aurubis AG, DAIKIN Airconditioning Germany GmbH, Deutsche Bahn AG, Deutsche Post DHL Group, DEUTSCHE ROCKWOOL GmbH & Co. KG, Deutsche Telekom AG, Deutsche Wohnen SE, Dirk Rossmann GmbH, DRÄXLMAIER Group, EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG, Unternehmensgruppe