Our environmental footprint is determined by our consumption of electricity, gas, oil, water, fuel and many other factors. To help us improve steadily, we record key climate and environmental data each year for our locations inside and outside Germany. Inside Germany, we use the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS), which involves an external validation of data. Outside Germany, we have developed our own management tool – the Corporate Sustainability Handprint® (CSH) – to provide a standardised framework for local sustainability management that can be implemented in a way that suits the country context. Both tools provide data on our greenhouse gas emissions. Our measurements are based on the international Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHGP). As of fiscal 2021, we also made some changes to our assessment system to bring it in line with the requirements of the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). Wherever possible, these changes were also made retroactively to ensure data comparability. Further information about the methods we use to calculate climate and environmental data can be found in the section entitled Notes on calculation methods.
Our environmental and
climate impact in figures
Verifiable figures and data play an indispensable role in our efforts to steadily reduce our environmental impact. Here are the key indicators.
Selected GIZ climate and environmental data 2024:
Achievement of SBTi target1
| Entire company | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 target | |
| Scopes 1 + 2 in t CO2e | 32,709 | 28,378 | 27,843 | 24,445 | 22,896 |
| Scope 3 in t CO2e | 325,157 | 305,083 | 325,743 | 296,975 | 292,641 |
1 The totals deviate in part from previously communicated figures because data quality has improved thanks to more accurate recalculations. The base year 2019 remains unchanged, as it is not recalculated for the achievement of the SBTi target.
GIZ’s Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions for 2024 are around 25 per cent lower than the values for 2019. This puts us on track to achieve the desired SBTi target of a 30 per cent reduction by 2025. At around 9 per cent in 2024, the reduction in Scope 3 emissions is also on track to meet the SBTi target of 10 per cent by 2025. Company-wide GHG emissions are presented in greater detail below and are supplemented by data on the key drivers of emissions, namely energy consumption and mobility. Detailed explanations of the environmental and climate data and a breakdown of the data for Germany and for countries abroad can be found in the Declaration of Conformity with the German Sustainability Code and in the Climate and environmental data 2024.
Summary of GHG emissions (in tonnes of CO2e)1
Scope 1
| Entire company | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
| Heating | 4,610 | 1,871 | 1,759 | 1,980 |
| Fuel for company vehicles | 11,573 | 10,749 | 9,636 | 7,827 |
| Coolants | 4,079 | 4,068 | 4,285 | 4,136 |
| Generators | 1,768 | 2,647 | 2,350 | 2,392 |
Scope 2
| Entire company | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
| Electricity2 | 10,073 | 8,601 | 9,368 | 7,710 |
| District heating | 527 | 396 | 413 | 370 |
| District cooling | 123 | 46 | 33 | 30 |
Scope 3
| Entire company | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
| Purchased goods and services3 in t CO2e | 194,012 | 207,273 | 205,986 | 184,218 |
| Fuel and energy-related emissions4 in t CO2e | 8,688 | 6,163 | 6,013 | 5,291 |
| Business trips5 in t CO2e | 109,529 | 72,770 | 95,964 | 89,969 |
| Commuting6 in t CO2e | 13,050 | 18,877 | 17,780 | 17,496 |
1 These figures deviate in part from previously published data due to improvements in data quality. This applies in particular to 2023.
2 Emissions from electricity were calculated in Germany using the market-based method. The location-based method is used abroad.
3 Estimate based on financial data. These emissions are solely from purchased services because these are material for GIZ. Materials and equipment and construction services are not included.
4 The data for abroad was still estimated in 2019. The remaining data was calculated.
5 Refers to business flights.
6 Commuter travel abroad was roughly estimated for 2019 using flat-rate values. For 2022 and 2023, extrapolations were made based on a staff survey. In 2024, the figure was calculated on the basis of country-specific emission factors.
Scopes 1 + 2: Limiting global warming to 1.5 °C
(direct emissions)
Scope 3: Limiting global warming to significantly less than 2 °C
(indirect emissions)
Energy consumption (in MWh)1
| Entire company | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
| Electricity consumption | 29,807 | 26,219 | 27,949 | 25,750 |
| Heating/cooling energy | 21,009 | 15,693 | 15,707 | 16,119 |
| Motor vehicles | 46,132 | 43,765 | 38,926 | 32,155 |
| Generators | 7,445 | 10,733 | 9,761 | 9,877 |
| Total energy consumption | 104,393 | 96,410 | 92,343 | 83,901 |
1 These figures deviate in part from previously published data due to improvements in data quality. Total energy consumption in 2019 and 2022 deviates slightly from the sum of the individual categories due to rounding differences.
Mobility (in 1,000 km)
| Germany | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
| Air travel | 69,621 | 41,831 | 56,738 | 55,823 |
| Rail travel | 12,357 | 6,447 | 8,768 | 7,214 |
| Travel using company vehicles | 137 | 147 | 108 | 104 |
| Abroad1 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
| Air travel | 361,454 | 250,994 | 312,600 | 284,997 |
1 Only air travel is recorded for mobility abroad.
