Guiding principles on sustainability

Our guiding principles are the result of intensive dialogue. The four guiding principles lay down the framework for the Savings Banks’ policies, the products they offer, and for the initiatives they develop in order to fulfil their social responsibility. This triangle comprises Savings Banks’ commitment to citizens and the region, their stakeholder engagement, and their fulfilment of sustain­ability targets.

1. We are committed to our public mission and to serving society as a whole.
2. We reduce complexity in banking and put it into the service of the people and the economy.
3. We are committed to doing our business in a resource­efficient way.
4. We aim at enhancing sustainable prosperity and better quality of life for everybody.

These guiding principles define our understanding of sustainability: through our actions, we aim to contribute to the reduction of the ecological footprint and to the enhancement of the quality of life for everyone, in order to preserve the foundations of our lives and those of future generations.

Committed to sustainable development

Savings Banks act to strengthen their business location; they exercise their influence to preserve a family-friendly environment with affordable housing, good education, unspoiled natural surroundings, future­oriented energy supply, attractive leisure activities, and the coexistence of generations. In our view, these are the cornerstones for sustainable development.

Well­founded sustainability reporting contributes to the transparency of these services for lasting development and ensures the transparency of the sustainability en­shrined in the Savings Banks.

A tailor-made set of indicators for the Savings Banks

She reporting system of the Savings Banks relates to the German Sustainability Code (Deutscher Nachhaltig­keitskodex – DNK) as well as to the GRI Financial Services Sector Disclosures (GRI FS) developed by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) established in 1997. This also includes a qualified reporting on the fulfilment of Savings Banks’ duty to the public, their orientation towards the common good, and the special sustainability aspects of their business strategy.

The German Federal Government’s Council for Sustainable Development has officially approved this reporting system as a basis for a Declaration of Compliance with the German Sustainability Code.

Gradual expansion of the reporting scope

The German Savings Banks Finance Group has published its third "Report to Society" at a Federal level. At present, aggre­gated figures at federal level are not yet available for all indicators. We will, however, gradually expand the scope of the reporting system over the next few years, in line with the defined indicators.