Environmental protection

Protecting the environment is a responsibility we all share. As a company, this is something we are very well aware of and we feel committed to protecting the environment, conserving natural resources and reducing emissions. That’s why we have incorporated environmental protection and energy efficiency measures into our business practices, with some surpassing statutory targets. We have committed to using natural resources responsibly and supporting the use of environmentally friendly technologies in our principles of conduct and RWE’s Code of Conduct. Furthermore, RWE companies appoint environmental officers in management that ensure as part of the environmental management system that environmental protection is implemented responsibly according to operator obligations, is handled in line with our sustainability practices and we pursue the goal of preventing serious adverse effects on the environment and other risks. Strict environmental legislation and permit requirements build the framework for our operational activities in the regions where we are active. Some of our activities surpass the obligations set out in laws and permits.

RWE invests in environmental protection to ensure continuous improvement in areas such as energy, water, biodiversity, emissions as well as wastewater and waste. 

RWE has set Science-based Targets. These targets cover own operations as well as the entire value chain. The targets are based on the emission inventory calculated for the new RWE for the year 2019. The company is committed to reducing specific emissions from Scope 1 and 2 by 2030 by 50% to 296 g CO₂e / kWh of electricity produced. Reference are emissions of 591 CO₂e / kWh in 2019. RWE intends to reduce Scope 3 emissions by 30% by 2030, from 22.3 million tons CO₂e in 2019 to 15.6 million tons CO₂e. These targets include all greenhouse gases. The emission targets and the roadmap behind them were reviewed in December 2020 by the Science Based Targets initiative, a global initiative of WWF, UN Global Compact, World Resource Institute and CDP. This provides scientific confirmation that RWE's strategy is in line with the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement.

To control our activities related to the environment, we have set up an environmental management system in affiliate companies that have operating facilities, for example. The environmental management system has 100% coverage. We follow international environmental standard ISO 14001, while factoring in the respective country-specific and statutory requirements. Environmental auditors assess our environmental performance on a regular basis, identify associated risks and opportunities and use these results in order to bring about systematic improvements. Our goal is to have 100% of the environmental management systems been certified either by external  or internal audits.