EWE Sets Ambitious Climate Goals for 2035

We have set ourselves an ambitious target: by 2035, EWE aims to be climate neutral in its own business operations, i.e., in Scope 1 and 2. With this, we plan to reach climate neutrality ten years ahead of the German Federal Government’s legally mandated target year of 2045.

We are also taking responsibility for the indirect greenhouse gas emissions that occur in our upstream and downstream value chain (Scope 3). By supporting private households, businesses, and municipalities with sustainable, future-proof, and climate-friendly solutions, we help reduce the emissions generated through the use of our products. Our goal here is to reduce emissions resulting from our products and services by 65 percent compared to 2018.

At the same time, we intend to work closely with our suppliers to reduce the emissions associated with purchased goods and services and to procure 50 percent of our purchasing volume climate neutrally by 2035.

Our CO₂ reduction targets have been validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), which defines best practices for science-based target setting in companies and evaluates them independently. According to SBTi, our Scope 1 and 2 targets are aligned with limiting global warming to 1.5 °C. Our Scope 3 targets contribute to limiting global warming to well below 2 °C.

Scope 1
= Direct emissions from facilities owned or controlled by the company. For example, from generation plants, company-owned buildings, or vehicles.

Scope 2
= Indirect emissions from the generation of energy purchased and consumed by the company.

Scope 3
= All other indirect emissions that occur in the company’s upstream and downstream value chain. These include, for example, emissions from business travel, rented facilities, and purchased goods and services. For EWE, Scope 3 includes those categories in which we can make the greatest contribution to climate protection.

The path to climate neutrality involves a series of intermediate steps. The first was achieving full transparency regarding all emissions generated by our business activities. Based on this, many measures have already been identified that can be implemented in the short term to reduce our carbon footprint. In addition, various medium- and long-term solutions have been evaluated to achieve climate neutrality. We act consistently according to the guiding principle: avoid and reduce before compensating. To achieve our goal, all business units are equally called upon to develop and continuously advance their own measures. Key levers for reducing emissions include:

• Coal Phase-Out: At the end of April 2024, the last coal-fired power plant unit of our group subsidiary swb was shut down—achieving a full coal phase-out 14 years earlier than required by law.
• Expansion of Renewable Energies: Expanding renewable energy sources, especially onshore wind power, is a core component of our long-term growth strategy and a key to achieving our climate targets. This reduces dependence on fossil fuels and ensures security of supply.
• Substitution of Fossil Fuels: Among other actions, we are gradually replacing fossil fuels by electrifying our vehicle fleet and using biomethane as a substitute for natural gas.
• Use of Renewable Electricity: EWE consistently uses electricity from renewable sources for its own consumption.
• Increasing Energy Efficiency: By optimizing our electricity and heat consumption, EWE specifically reduces its energy use. To support this, we have introduced the ISO 50001 energy management system in many of our companies.
• Reducing Emissions from Purchased Goods: We intend to work closely with our suppliers to reduce emissions associated with purchased goods and services.
• Substituting Products and Services With Renewable Alternatives: We also want to support our customers on their path to decarbonization—with innovative products and services that enable them to efficiently use and produce renewable energy themselves.
• Capturing CO₂ Emissions: For unavoidable emissions, such as those from our thermal waste treatment plants, we are currently exploring the use of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies.

Beyond this, we are continuously working to more closely integrate climate protection into our strategy and control mechanisms. At the same time, extensive training, education, and change programs provide the foundation for promoting sustainable action within EWE.

In addition to our contributions to the energy transition, we have also adapted our communication and working practices to further support climate protection. Here are a few examples:

Our buildings are used and renovated to be as energy-efficient as possible. In recent years, we have significantly reduced energy consumption (electricity and heating) in our buildings through a variety of measures. By introducing flexible workspaces, we have been able to forgo some office space and use existing space more efficiently. We are also currently assessing the energy standards of our buildings and developing renovation plans based on that data. A successful example: The district maintenance depot in Warsingsfehn is undergoing extensive energy renovation and will achieve a reduction of more than 10 tons of CO₂ per year through insulation measures, the use of heat pumps in combination with photovoltaics, modern LED lighting, and more.

We put a great deal of effort into climate protection. But we can only be truly successful if our employees are engaged, committed, and involved. That’s why we’ve hosted a variety of events to discuss different climate-related topics. Inspired by these discussions, a large Climate Community has formed within EWE with the goal of advancing climate neutrality measures. The community organizes climate action days and other formats to encourage climate-conscious thinking and behavior. Additionally, the community has set up climate corners at various EWE locations where employees can exchange books and games or recycle old mobile phones.

In a carbon-based economy, living and operating in a climate-neutral way is anything but easy. We explain how it can be done.