Environmental data

Data collection process

Data on energy consumption, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, waste, paper, and water consumption (including Postbank) are consolidated in a global database that systematically analyses data covering the past ten years. Tools in the database enable analysis of environmental initiatives and performance, for example highlighting how renewable electricity has reduced carbon emissions. The system stores data and uses it to make estimates of key indicators based on present consumption and trends, so that annual carbon emissions can be accurately accounted, and offsets are purchased at the appropriate level to meet our neutrality targets. Data covers all locations, presently with 88% of our carbon emissions from actual metered or invoiced data. On the basis of these data, consumption is extrapolated for non-reporting sites to get our total energy consumption and GHG emissions. These data are quantified and reported in line with the international GHG standard ISO 14064. Waste, paper, and water data are also captured in this database. The figures for copier paper consumption are collected in 17 countries, including Germany, UK, and the US, and cover 89% of employees. The water consumption data is extrapolated based on floor area with actual water consumption data covering 63% of floor area across the globe. Full Time Equivalents (FTE) and floor data refer to respective annual average numbers. The environmental data collection, internal reporting processes and calculations, Verified Emission Reduction (VER) purchases and retirement, have been reviewed by KPMG.

GHG reporting

Our total emissions in 2016 from market based reporting were 249,596 tonnes CO₂e. The total emissions from location-based reporting were 453,164 tonnes CO₂e. The difference between location and market emissions of 203,568 tonnes CO₂e is primarily due to the renewable energy contracts in the three largest electricity-consuming countries where the bank operates: Germany, the UK and the US.

The base year of 2007 is the first year in which we had the most reliable and complete data, as well as the methodology and processes in place to calculate the global emissions of the organization. The most significant changes to the base year have resulted from improved extrapolation methodologies. The methodology emissions based on the base-year market were 698,408 tonnes CO₂e.

All data relates to 2016 and is presented as available at the time of reporting. Some data was extrapolated based on the previous year. Changes from the 2015 data are mainly due to:

• electricity grid factor changes;
• energy data updates where data wasn’t available at the time of reporting last year;
• assumption changes;
• extrapolation methodology changes; and
• data centres that were outsourced in 2015, which have been removed (approx. 13,000 t CO₂e).

The GHG reporting boundary is defined according to the GHG Protocol’s operational control approach and includes businesses and sites where Deutsche Bank staff hold executive positions in the company, and Deutsche Bank’s operational policies are implemented. Scope 1 GHG emissions are from the combustion of fossils fuels, owned and leased vehicles, and refrigerant leakage from cooling equipment; Scope 2 are delivered energy: electricity, district heating, steam, and cooling; Scope 3 are from indirect emissions from business travel, i.e. where emissions sources are controlled by others (air, rail, taxi, and hired vehicles travel).

We report our GHG emissions according to the GHG Protocol’s “Scope 2 Guidance: an amendment to the Corporate Standard,” released in January 2015. In line with the requirement for dual reporting, the table below shows GHG emissions from the market-based approach, using supplier specific emission factors, RE-DISS residual emission factors for non-renewable electricity consumption in European countries, or country grid average factor.

The contractual instruments supporting the zero carbon supplier-specific emission factors used by countries with a large renewable electricity supply include: Renewable Electricity Certificates (RECs) in the USA and Canada, Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGOs) for selected sites in the UK, Guarantees of Origin (GOs) in Germany, and International Renewable Energy Certificates (IRECs) in Spain. Alongside these major consuming countries, a number of others also hold zero carbon electricity contracts: Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Switzerland.