GRENKE around the globe
Climate and environment at GRENKE
In consideration of the climate and the environment, we aim to facilitate our customers' transition to a greener future through our range of financing solutions for sustainable properties. Our goal is to assist them in making environmentally conscious investments. Within our leasing portfolio, we prioritize resource-conserving circular economy practices, implement efficient digital processes both internally and externally, and strive to minimize our ecological footprint.
ESG Products and Services
We specialize in providing financing solutions customized for small and medium-sized enterprises and their specific investment requirements. Through financing green economy objects, we contribute to the sustainable transformation of our customers' business activities individually and of the economy as a whole.
Green Economy Objects
With the overall shift of the economy towards sustainability in mind, we are also working towards enhancing the sustainability of our property portfolio. This category encompasses properties designed for generating and storing renewable energy, facilitating sustainable mobility, and managing waste and resources. Specifically, these features solar systems and photovoltaics, e-bikes, wall boxes, and charging infrastructure. Since 2022, we have intensified our emphasis on green economy products and are consistently broadening the specialized range of leaseable green economy objects available in the market.
GRENKE Sustainability Index (GSI)
The sustainability of our services is shaped by both the assets we lease and the structure of our contracts. To ensure transparency and measurability in the sustainability of our financing options, we've created the GRENKE Sustainability Index (GSI). This index considers multiple factors—such as leased assets, contract structure, and lessee—that are pertinent to assessing a lease agreement throughout its duration. We are presently refining and validating the GSI in collaboration with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), with the aim of later implementing the index as a valuable evaluation metric.
Circular Economy
At the conclusion of the lease term, the vast majority of leased items are returned to our retail partners, with only a small portion returned to us. In our primary markets of Germany, France, and Italy, we have our own asset brokers who handle the resale of these items. These brokers acquire the leased assets at the end of the term, assess their functionality, and endeavor to reintroduce them into the economic cycle through the secondary market wherever feasible. In 2023, over 98% of approximately 27,500 properties reclaimed by the asset brokers were made available for sale to B2B customers. Additionally, we are mitigating our environmental impact by enhancing our take-back processes, utilizing packaging to reduce waste, and collaborating more closely with zero-emission shipping partners and transportation service providers.
Ressource Conservation
GRENKE is digitizing processes and procedures in order to keep our ecological footprint as small as possible. In doing so, we take measures to minimise the use of resources.
Climate protection and adaptation to climate change
We aim to contribute to climate protection and adaptation by reducing our CO2 emissions (Scope 1, 2, and 3) and attaining climate neutrality within our own company. To diminish our CO2 emissions, we have conducted a carbon footprint analysis since 2021. In the 2023 reporting year, Scope 1 emissions amounted to 3,840 tCO2e (compared to 4,492 tCO2e in 2022), covering 90 percent of our locations and areas. Scope 2 emissions for the same period totaled 944 tCO2e, based on a complete database. Our objective is to achieve climate neutrality for Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 2025.
NEW WORKPLACE CONCEPTS
We strive to utilize our buildings efficiently while conserving resources, in response to the evolving landscape of work brought about by digitization. Additionally, we aim to enhance the appeal of our workplaces for our employees. In this endeavor, we ensure that our building designs adapt to changing environmental and climate conditions, while continuing to decrease our resource consumption. Since 2022, our Italian subsidiary's building, 'De Castillia 23' in Milan, has served as a model for these efforts. Corresponding adjustments were also made at our locations in Australia, Brazil, and Canada in 2023. Furthermore, we are actively increasing our use of renewable energy sources to power our operations. At our Baden-Baden site, we have operated a photovoltaic system with a maximum output of 165 kWp since 2022. By utilizing the electricity generated on-site, we have the potential to reduce CO2 emissions by around 1.4 million kg over a 20-year period.
BLOOMING NATURE PARK’ PROJECT
Since 2023, we've been sponsoring the 'Blooming Nature Park' project in the Central/North Black Forest Nature Park. Our initiative, titled 'Blooming Headquarters,' aims to preserve the cultural landscape and protect species. To achieve this, we are planting approximately 450 square meters of native wildflower seeds on our company premises in Baden-Baden. Following the sowing in autumn 2023, new habitats for bumblebees, wild bees, and butterflies will emerge from next spring.
Waste and water management
As a financial services provider, our water consumption and waste generation are relatively low. Nonetheless, we aim to heighten our employees' awareness of responsible water usage and waste management, and further reduce our consumption through appropriate measures. In the 2023 financial year, the Group generated 135 tonnes of waste (compared to 31 tonnes in 2022). The increase is attributed to improved data availability compared to the previous year's survey. Additionally, in 2023, we were able to determine our water consumption for the first time, which amounted to 40,234 cubic meters.
Digitisation
Our business model heavily relies on paper usage. However, we are committed to minimizing our ecological footprint by gradually digitizing our processes. We have set a goal to digitize more of our operations over time. Measures to reduce paper consumption include implementing a digital customer portal, adopting an electronic signature solution, and transitioning to digital personnel files.
Digital Personel Records
Through the digital personnel file, our employees have access to personnel documents from anywhere and at any time. They can efficiently process and manage important formalities, such as pay slips or holiday applications, in a paperless manner. Additionally, we ensure compliance with legal requirements regarding data deletion and retention periods.
Digital Customer Platform
Our digital customer portal allows for the management of contracts, invoices, and data online, accessibility at any time. By the end of the 2023 financial year, the portal was operational in 27 countries, with ongoing plans to expand its availability to additional countries. Invoices are already sent digitally in 26 countries.
eSignature
Since 2015, GRENKE has utilized electronic document transmission and legally binding eSignatures. This eSignature system streamlines the process of finalizing financing agreements, reduces paper usage and postal costs, and was operational in 27 countries by 2023. Additionally, over 40% of all contracts within the Group are currently signed digitally. Electronic signatures are also employed internally within the Group, such as for signing meeting minutes or contracts between Group entities
