Dr. Andreas K. Gruber

In your opinion, what’s the key to successfully develop the sustainable finance movement?

Gruber: I see three points here. First: We need to bring sustainability into the mainstream. We can only achieve our ambitious goals as a state, industry or society if as many people as possible join in, not just a bubble of urban elites. We also need to include the real economy – especially those industries with a high need for transformation – and ultimately all banks and financial market players, not just a small group of pioneers.

Second, we need to look closely at sustainable finance and focus on the essentials. I am always sceptical when financial market players talk exclusively about their direct CO2 emissions in their business operations or start planting trees. We need less greenwashing and more integration of sustainability into a bank’s core processes – from group strategy to lending and risk management to governance structures. We need to stop treating sustainability as a feel-good topic made for glossy corporate brochures but rather integrate it into the engine rooms of financial market actors.

And third, we need to understand sustainable finance as a whole as a data issue and link it to the huge topic of digitalisation. Without the collection and evaluation of relevant ESG data, we can neither identify and manage risks nor bring our portfolios in line with the Paris Climate Agreement. Even ambitious projects such as the EU Taxonomy can only succeed if there is an appropriate data basis.

What role does DKB play here?

Gruber: We are the most sustainable bank among the top 20 banks in Germany and strongly dedicated to keeping it that way. We want to prove that our success is based on sustainability being part of our DNA. As one of Germany‘s largest banks we are committed to bringing sustainability into the mainstream and making it tangible for all our customers. We already successfully communicate sustainability internally and externally through our cross media campaign #geldverbesserer.

We want to continue being the bank with the highest proportion of ESG-compliant loans among the top 20 banks in Germany. We will work closely together with our corporate banking customers to drive renewable energies forward and strengthen Germany‘s social infrastructure. Last but not least, we offer a wide range of sustainable products, e.g. sustainability funds or investment opportunities in sustainable project financing, to our nearly 5 million private customers.

What is your personal goal?

Gruber: As Head of Sustainability at DKB, it is my goal to establish sustainability as a core part of our DNA and business model. In recent years, however, banks have not always done everything right. Today, they have the chance to reinvent themselves and contribute to the positive development of our global economy and society.

This ethical and moral responsibility is what motivates me. I want to prove that banks can (only) be economically successful when taking on that responsibility. In other words: I want to be able to consciously say: “Yes, I am a manager in a bank – and together with my team, I am actively supporting a more sustainable economy and society.”