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The current climate protection debate clearly shows that the preservation of our natural resources is a key concern for society and economy. Internal environmental protection therefore is a core element of our corporate responsibility. For several years already, WestLB has benefited from the costs saved as a result of increasingly efficient resource utilisation   we have not only cut the consumption of resources but also reduced our emissions and waste significantly.

Environmental Management

Our environmental management system has also been improved continuously; our German branches and offices are certified to the international ISO 14001:2004 standard since 2007. Our reporting practice under the Greenhouse Gas Protocol also complies with international standards. This means that we include both direct and indirect emissions in our calculations. The direct emissions primarily stem from the use of fossil energies, while indirect emissions are produced in the generation of electricity and district heat. Indirect emissions in the wider sense mainly include emissions from business trips.

Building Management

As a bank we are particularly interested in energy consumption in our buildings and branches. The crucial elements of efficient energy management at our locations are the architecture of the buildings and the technical equipment available in the office buildings. When carrying out building and modernisation work, we pay close attention, therefore, to low operating and energy costs as well as ecological aspects. For example, we conducted an ecological building check at our international locations and replaced a number of block heating and generating plant modules. In the course of the energetic modernisation of our largest building in Düsseldorf providing 1,400 workplaces, we have achieved savings of approximately 30 per cent since completion of the work in mid-2008 compared to the situation before 2003. To save electricity in the IT area, WestLB is currently reviewing, among other things, the possibility of a central switch-off of PCs.

Mobility

Over a quarter of all carbon dioxide emissions at WestLB are accounted for by business trips.  In 2008 WestLB employees covered a total of 63.7 million kilometres on business trips, including 28 per cent by car, 6 per cent by train and 66 per cent by plane.
In order to reduce emissions from our business activities, our environmental programme contains two objectives: the revision of the company car regulations and inclusion of CO2 emissions in the valuation, and the reduction of business trips by plane through increased use of video conferences. Since 2004 our modified travel expense guidelines have given preference to rail travel over air travel. As many plane trips are attributable to the growing internationalization of our business, the potential for switching over to rail travel is limited. A concessionary job ticket is available to employees in Düsseldorf, Cologne and Dortmund as an incentive to make greater use of bus and rail travel. We are also planning to set up an internal car-sharing scheme for employees on the Intranet in 2010.

Resource and Waste Management

In 2008 WestLB AG in Germany consumed 253 tons of paper. This represents an average of 53.5 kilograms per employee, down from 68.6 kilograms in 2007. Since 2007 our Sustainability and Annual Reports have been printed on paper bearing the label of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
In the context of our new waste management system, we are currently recording all types of waste and the respective quantities and making increased use measures aimed at avoiding waste. The total waste volume declined by 4.2 per cent in 2008 compared with the previous year.

Sustainable Canteens

Since certification in 2003, the Düsseldorf canteen has been licensed to use the label “Mahlzeiten aus ökologischer Agrarwirtschaft” (Meals from Organic Agriculture). With the increase in the share of food from organic farming, we are also contributing towards climate protection, as CO2 emissions per hectare from organic farming are about 60 per cent lower than from conventional agriculture. WestLB’s catering and housekeeping services do a great deal to support the regional economy. Many products are sourced from local suppliers.  

Biological Station - Schloss Krickenbeck

In 1988, WestLB AG acquired the dilapidated “Schloss Krickenbeck” castle on the Lower Rhine, including 95 hectares of forest with the aim to integrate them into the “Krickenbecker Seen” natural reserve, and established a Biological Station on the site. Following complex restoration work, Schloss Krickenbeck was turned into a high-quality conference hotel offering a wide range of first-class congresses and other events as well as an excellent training programme.