Climate change is a challenge that affects us all. PostFinance’s commitment to climate and environmental protection is ambitious. Find out our key targets, solutions and measures.
What we want to achieve in relation to sustainability
From 2030, PostFinance plans to be carbon neutral in its in-house operations. This means that we aim to reduce the emissions we generate in our own operations and remove unavoidable residual emissions from the atmosphere.
We want to reach our net zero target throughout Scopes 1 to 3 in 2040. All greenhouse gas emissions, including those in our value chain, will be reduced by at least 90 percent, and the remaining emissions will be neutralized.
Emission categories (Scopes)
Since 2010, we have systematically measured the following emissions in accordance with the GHG:
Scope 1: Direct emission categories
Scope 2: Indirect energy-related categories
Scope 3: Specific indirect greenhouse gas emission categories
Our climate targets are fully in line with those of the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5 °C, and with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) .
PostFinance is one of the few Swiss financial institutions with a science-based climate target that meets SBTi requirements.
How we will proceed: our timetable
We have enshrined our climate targets in our strategy and set a timetable for implementing our sustainability goals. This timetable contains five programmes of measures.
Our programmes of measures
Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in financed emissions
Investments in companies with SBTi-validated reduction or net zero targets
Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from in-house operations and energy use
Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the up- and downstream value chain for in-house operations
Shift to renewable energy
Our timetable shows information such as solutions, what we have achieved so far, current measures, responsibilities, reference frameworks we have used, uncertainties and measurements.
The financed greenhouse gas emissions in Scope 3, category 15 account for the vast majority of our overall emissions. With a view to achieving Swiss Post’s target of net zero by 2040, we have set ourselves the goal of reducing financed emissions by 25 percent by 2030 compared to the base year 2021.
Financed emissions from our own investments
Financed emissions are the main option that banks have for reducing emissions. But what are financed emissions? Banks are active on the capital market with customer funds (own investments ).
PostFinance mainly invests in corporate bonds and thus in companies that are responsible for generating a certain amount of greenhouse gases. Because PostFinance is invested in these companies, it is “allocated” a certain share of these emissions as a financial institution.
These indirect emissions are many times higher than our own emissions generated by our real estate operations or company vehicles, for example, even if they are much less “visible” at first glance.
Solutions and measures
We are working to increase the proportion of companies in our portfolio that, like PostFinance,
have science-based targets for greenhouse gas reduction. As a result, financed emissions in our portfolio are reducing continuously, and our own investment portfolio will ultimately become carbon neutral.
The exclusion list of the Norwegian sovereign wealth fund is used to exclude particularly CO2-intensive companies.
By regularly monitoring financed CO2 emissions and reviewing current target attainment, we are ensuring that our reduction target of -25 percent by 2030 will be achieved.
By 2040, PostFinance aims to hold financial investments only in companies that have an SBTi-validated climate target.
Solution and measures
The proportion of financial investments in our portfolio in companies with SBTi-validated targets will be continuously increased (see image). The greenhouse gas emissions from the financed companies with SBTi-validated climate targets will be reduced in the medium and long term. As a result of this reduction and a steadily increasing share of companies with SBTi-validated climate targets in the PostFinance portfolio, PostFinance’s financed emissions will also fall.
By 2040, the proportion of companies with science-based targets in PostFinance’s portfolio will be increased to 100 percent. The interim targets are 35 percent for 2027 and 50 percent for 2030.
Emissions from in-house real estate and company vehicles are relevant to emissions from in-house operations and energy use. We want to reduce these emissions (Scopes 1 and 2) by 42 percent by 2030 (base year 2021).
Solution and measures
Company real estate: we are insulating building envelopes and optimizing building services. However, the biggest form of leverage in this respect is replacement of heating systems, some of which are still currently based on fossil fuels, with renewable energy sources.
Company vehicles: we are systematically replacing our vehicles with battery-powered models.
In our value chain, indirect emissions are generated by activities such as business travel, employee commuting and procurement.
We aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in our value chain by 25 percent by 2030: in staff commuter mobility, procurement and, in turn, in PostFinance’s supply chain.
Solutions and measures
Procurement: we are working to improve transparency relating to greenhouse gas emissions in our procurement and, as a result, in our supply chain. To help with this, we use the EcoVadis rating tool. This enables us to evaluate the environmental performance of our suppliers who are registered there based on various criteria and indicators. For strategic suppliers, we consider their specific climate and environmental targets.
Commuter mobility: to reduce our employees’ commuter travel, we offer extensive options for working from home. We also encourage use of public transport, non-motorized modes of transport and switching to e-mobility.
Emissions from in-house operations (Scopes 1 and 2) come from fossil fuels. By 2028, 94.2 percent of PostFinance’s total energy consumption is expected to come from renewable sources.
Solution and measures
We are pressing ahead with the switch to renewable energy, particularly in our properties (replacing heating systems) and the electrification of our vehicle fleet. We also promote measures to improve efficiency with a view to reducing overall energy consumption.
