Our own operations

 

Our 2030 long-term objective is to reduce carbon emissions from internal operations by more than

50%

compared to 2019. 

Climate actions in our own operations

See examples below on how we are working towards reaching our goal. 

Electric and plug-in hybrid company cars only

In 2020 we introduced a new company car policy which means that from 2021 onwards we have only allowed electric and plug-in hybrid company cars. This has been well received by our employees, with plug-in hybrids accounting for approximately 2/3 and electric 1/3 of all new company cars.

Reducing travel

We can now rely much more on digital meetings, which means that we will not return to pre-pandemic travel levels. In addition to reducing travel overall, the updated travel guidelines also require us to travel more by train to further reduce our carbon footprint.

Changing from paper to digital

Nordea has been replacing physical letters with customer-friendly digital solutions through our Paperless Banking Programme. Between 2017 and 2021 the programme has digitalised approximately 50% of all customer letters, which means fewer carbon emissions connected with distribution.

Carbon offsets for emissions from internal operations

Despite our best efforts to limit our internal carbon footprint, some emissions still remain difficult to reduce. For these, we purchase carbon offsets to reduce equiva­lent emissions elsewhere. We supported the generation of renewable energy through the purchase of carbon credits for 2021. We will continue to fully offset the residual emissions from our internal operations. Going forward, we will be shifting to a long-term carbon removal portfolio, which we will periodically review to align with evolving best practices for achieving net-zero emissions.

Excess heat to private households

One of the main drivers of our energy consumption are the data centres which make our digital services possible. A side effect of the high activity level in the data centres is the generation of excess heat. In 2020 we have installed a large heat pump which distributes excess heat to private households in the community. This is limiting the need for additional cooling of the servers and helping us to significantly reduce our electricity consumption.

A more sustainable workplace

We are also working towards making our workplace more sustainable. For example by offering more vegetarian options and serving local and seasonal produce as much as possible. In 2021 we installed beehives and urban gardens on the roof­tops of several Nordea headquarters (HQ). We aim to inspire our employees to reduce their own carbon footprint. To this end, we have hosted sustainability events for employees and facilitated discussions in our branches and headquarters. As well as being a way to share ongoing initiatives, these events were also forums for discuss­ing and developing new ideas to create positive change.

 

Taking social responsibility

Our community engagement strategy is about creating posi­tive change through our employees with a focus on building financial skills and fostering entrepreneurship. See examples below and read more here.

Employees are able to volunteer

Nordea employees can spend two paid working days per year volunteering. In 2021, this resulted in 1,100 Nordea employees delivering 6,500 hours of vol­unteering.

Sharing financial skills with youth

Every year Nordea employees have the opportunity to visit schools, where they are invited to teach financial skills. Read more about this on the different country pages.

FI  SE

Financial inclusion of immigrants and seniors

Through well over 20 programmes and partnerships, we are focused on building financial skills and fostering entrepreneurship, thus enabling our banking and financial expertise to have a positive impact on society.

Our diverse culture 

Our ability to grow sustainably depends on the people we attract, retain and develop, and the extent to which we provide an inclusive environment.

We govern our work

Sound corporate governance means ensuring that companies are run sustainably, responsibly and as efficiently as possible on behalf of their shareholders. By fostering a purpose-led culture with a robust operating model, we can enable speed and scale in the transition to a resilient economy while at the same time reducing sustainability-related risks.

See the structure

Gender balance in all parts of the organ­isation

One example of our work with responsible banking is gender balance at the workplace. We strive for gender balance in all parts of the organ­isation, including at the total workforce level and at each leadership level. In all cases, no gender should be represented by less than 40% of employees. 

Explore our culture

More diversity facts

At Nordea our employees

  • are representing 96 citizenships
  • speaking over 50 languages 
  • and span over four generations.
Read more about our work