Recommendations for action in the financial sector

The financial industry is a sector that has developed an increasingly strong interest in climate action. This is not only due to the fact that banks and insurance companies are increasingly assessed by politicians and society with regard to "non-monetary" aspects such as climate action.

For example, Article 2, paragraph (c) of the Paris Agreement requires actors in the financial sector to make financial resources available in order to limit climate change. Furthermore, the consequences of climate change are increasing worldwide. The associated damage is leading to ever greater risks, especially for insurance and credit institutions. Minimising risks and channelling money flows into sustainable products is thus one of the main drivers for the finance and insurance industry to actively address the issue of climate action.

To this end, the DGNB, together with its network, is developing recommendations on how to act for financial decision-makers in the context of the Wissenstransfer Bau (i.e.: Knowledge Transfer Construction) research project funded by the German Environment Agency and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety. The recommendations are initially to be regarded as drafts that are to be sharpened in the network and with stakeholders in a possible follow-up project. To make it clear that these are drafts, they are marked as discussion papers (WiTraBau).

Document|pdf|German|4 MB

Promoting building renovation with blended finance

The white paper, co-authored by experts from EIT Climate-KIC, Bankers Without Boundaries, Politecnico di Milano and DGNB, argues that a successful response to the climate crisis distributes the burden of change evenly. The paper outlines an approach to achieve this in the field of building retrofits, based on ongoing project work with the city of Milan. Please note: The paper is in German.
Document|pdf|German|305 KB

Establish and market sustainable financial products

Discussion paper | The launch of financial products that specifically fund the decarbonisation of the building stock offer great economic potential. Please note: The paper is in German.
Document|pdf|German|305 KB

Aligning object evaluations with sustainability

Discussion paper | Certainty about the sustainability of real estate projects can be provided by a climate action roadmap that shows how carbon neutrality can be achieved for each individual building. Financial service providers should make this mandatory when granting loans or making investment decisions. Please note: The paper is in German.

Other publications

Publication|pdf|English|1 MB

Circular Economy Taxonomy Study

Publication: 22.02.2023
The real estate sector is not prepared for the transition to a circular economy like it is specified by the European Union. This is shown by a study conducted by the DGNB together with European partners. In it, the marketability of the Circular Economy criteria of the EU taxonomy was examined on the basis of real construction projects. The resource conservation taking place today through the reuse of building components and the use of recyclates proved to be particularly challenging. In addition, there was a lack of data and methods for circular building. 38 projects of different building types from ten different countries participated in the study.
Document|pdf|English|398 KB

Market feedback from testing the proposed Circular Economy EU-Taxonomy Technical Screening Criteria for Buildings

In March 2022, the EU Platform on Sustainable Finance proposed taxonomy screening criteria for new construction and renovation of buildings that contribute to the circular economy. To assess the market readiness of the proposed technical screening criteria, a study consortium consisting of the DGNB, seven other GBCs and the Climate Positive Europe Alliance (CPEA) has launched a joint study. At a roundtable on 7 October 2022, the consortium presented a first interim report with recommendations to representatives of the European Commission and the Platform on Sustainable Finance.
Publication|pdf|English|1 MB

EU Taxonomy Study: Climate change mitigation

Publication: 19.03.2021
The property market has quite a bit of catching up to do if it wants to work through the taxonomy criteria laid down by the European Union. This is partially because stakeholders lack the information they need to fulfil verification requirements. In addition, the way some of the criteria are currently formulated, they are practically impossible to fulfil. This is the conclusion of a recent study conducted by the DGNB in collaboration with partners from Denmark, Austria and Spain. It also includes concrete recommendations to the EU Commission and market stakeholders aimed at making it easier to apply the criteria in the future.

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Dr. Kathrin Quante

Manager System Development

Dr. Anna Braune

Director Research and Development