The projects and its objectives
The joint research project CREATE (abbreviated from: Climate Neutral Buildings and Sustainable Real Estate Finance) deals with climate-neutral buildings and sustainable real estate financing. In particular, the objective is to develop and optimise finance and insurance products that conform to the EU taxonomy so that they can precisely address the refurbishment backlog of real estate in Germany and thus develop the highest possible decarbonisation potential. This means making CO2-intensive real estate climate-friendly.
The target group comprises banks and insurers, particularly their product development, marketing and customer advisory divisions.
Participation of the DGNB
The project will develop guidelines for the introduction and optimisation of financial products that take into account the needs of both providers and potential customers. To this end, the project will examine the availability and quality of data on the level of refurbishment of the German real estate stock, the needs and expectations of financial market players, and the incentives and barriers on the customer side for the use of sustainable financial products. The core task of the DGNB is to identify relevant data, in particular building data, and to check their quality and availability.
Duration and partners
The project has a duration of three years (from October 2022 to September 2025). In addition to the DGNB, the project partner are:
- Hochschule für Technik HFT Stuttgart (project coordination)
- Verein für Umweltmanagement und Nachhaltigkeit in Finanzinstituten e.V. (VFU)
CREATE is one of 14 collaborative research projects and one accompanying research project funded by the BMFTR within the funding measure "Climate Protection and Finance" (KlimFi) as part of the strategy "Research for Sustainability - FONA".
The concluding conference will take place on 16 September 2025 in Frankfurt am Main. Attendance is free of charge. Note: The registration form will be in German.
Venue: Next Studio - Frankfurt am Main
Time: 09:00 to 16:00
register now
Results
As part of the research project, the DGNB has developed a method that compares the investment costs of renovation measures with the greenhouse gas emissions saved as a result of the renovation. This enables stakeholders in the financial sector, investors, project developers, certification experts, but also local authorities and private builders to determine which renovation measure or combination of individual measures per euro invested will result in the greatest savings in greenhouse gas emissions compared to a business-as-usual scenario in which no renovation is carried out. The abatement impact factor (AIF) determined using this method shows at a glance which measure or combination of measures has the greatest effect: the higher the AIF value, the greater the savings.
Tool providers and developers who would like to integrate the AIF can contact the persons listed below by email at any time.