Sustainability is integrated into the Nordea group strategy. We have organised related strategic sustainability priorities around four themes: climate and energy, nature, financial well-being, and inclusive and safe societies. On this page the sustainability targets and commitments are presented under each of the themes.
See our group strategyThe financial sector has a critical role to play in supporting the development of a more resilient and sustainable society. That is why our long-term objective is to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. As part of this commitment, we have reduced financed emissions from our lending portfolio by 44% and emissions from targeted areas of our operations by more than 50% since 2019.
We have set a 2030 ambition and supporting targets for our four sustainability themes, each informed by the outcome of our 2025 double materiality assessment.
Go to each theme here:
With our long-term objective to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, we are working closely with our customers to support their transitions to net zero, and have integrated climate change into our strategy and risk management to capture opportunities and strengthen our resilience.
| Target | Status |
| Demonstrate progress towards net zero | |
| Nordea Bank: Reduce financed emissions in the lending portfolio by 40-50% by the end of 2030 compared with 2019 - supported by sector targets, see full list below. | -44% |
| Nordea Asset Management: Reduce the weighted average carbon intensity (WACI) of listed equities and corporate bonds by 50% by the end of 2030 compared with 2019. | -52% |
| Nordea Life & Pension: Reduce the carbon footprint (intensity) of listed equity, corporate bond and directly held real estate portfolio by 40-50% by end of 2029 compared with 2019. | -40% |
| Operations and supply chain: Reduce carbon emissions from own operations* by more than 50% by the end of 2030 compared to 2019. For emissions included in the current target scope, we use carbon removals as part of our operational carbon strategy, including long-term offtake agreements for high-quality carbon removals. Our strategy, including target and reporting scoping, is under review in 2026. | -52% |
| Actively engage on net-zero transition | |
| Nordea Bank: Engage annually with corporate customers (collectively representing 70% of financed emissions in the large corporate portfolio) on the topic of net-zero transition during the period 2026–30. | New |
| Nordea Asset Management: By 2030, ensure that 100% of transition-critical investee companies are either aligned with the Paris Agreement or are subject to active stewardship to improve alignment. | New |
| Nordea Life & Pension: Engage annually with the 30 most material emitters on net zero alignment during the period 2025–29. | Met for 2025 |
| Nordea Life & Pension: Increase the share of assets under management supporting nature and the climate transition by 20% by the end of 2029 compared with 2023. | +26% |
| Operations and supply chain: By 2030, ensure that all identified transition-critical suppliers are either aligned with the Paris Agreement or are subject to active engagement to improve alignment. | New |
*Our target currently covers full scopes 1 and 2 and partial scope 3 (categories 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6). For further information on the target and reporting scopes and related exclusions, please refer to our Sustainability Statements and our Climate change disclosure methodology. This target was updated in September 2026.
Read more about our targets and actions in our sustainability statement in the section E1 Climate change.
The sector targets cover Nordea's lending portfolio and will guide Nordea’s work to support its customers’ journeys to reduce emissions and accelerate the transition of the economy. Our first round of sector targets was launched in December 2022 and covered shipping, residential real estate, oil and gas and thermal peat mining. At the end of 2023, Nordea also set additional targets for power production and agriculture. In February 2024 the sector target for cars and vans was published. In February 2026 we updated our sector target for oil and gas.
Sector | Sub-sector | Emissions scope | Metric | Benchmark scenario | Base year | Target year | Target |
Shipping | Vessels | 1 | AER, gCO2/dwt-nm | Poseidon principles (IMO 2050) | 2019 | 2030 | -30% |
Residential Real Estate | Households and tenant-owner associations | 1, 2 | kgCO2e/m2 | Utility sector NDC1, CRREM | 2019 | 2030 | -40-50% |
Agriculture | Crops, plantation and hunting, and Animal husbandry | 1, 2 | tCO2e/EURm | National sector targets and SBTi FLAG3 | 2021 | 2030 | -40-50% |
Motor vehicles | Cars and vans | 15 | gCO2e/km
| IEA NZE2
| 2022
| 2030 | -40% |
Power Production | Electricity generation | 1, 2 | gCO2e/kWh | IEA NZE2 SBTi 1.5C
| 2021 | 2030 | -70% |
Oil and Gas | Exploration and Production | 1, 2, 3 | tCO2e4 | IEA NZE2 | 2024 | 2035 | -55% |
Offshore | Drilling rigs and offshore service vessels within Oil and Gas and Shipping | - | EURm | - | 2019 | 2025 | -100% |
Mining | Thermal peat mining | - | EURm | IEA NZE2 | 2022 | 2025 | -100% |
Thermal coal mining | - | EURm | IEA NZE2 | Restrictive policy. Full phase-out achieved 2021. | |||
1 Combined, NDC (Nationally Determined Contributions) plus renovation decarbonisation and building stock turnover decarbonisation (conservative estimates).
2 A normative IEA scenario that shows a pathway for the global energy sector to achieve net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050 and is consistent with limiting the global temperature rise to 1.5 °C without a temperature overshoot (with a 50% probability), in line with reductions assessed by the IPCC in its Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 °C.
3 National sector targets and Science Based Targets Initiative Forestry, Land and Agriculture (SBTi FLAG) include both GHG-emission reductions and carbon removals
4 Including methane emissions in CO2 equivalents for scopes 1 and 2.
5 Scope 1 covers emissions tank-to-wheel.
To address the growing threat of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation, we are engaging with stakeholders to build awareness and support transition within the area of nature and biodiversity.
| Target | Status |
| Actively engage on biodiversity | |
| Nordea Bank: By the end of 2028, engage in dialogues on biodiversity with customers representing ≥80% of our large corporate lending exposures in relevant sectors with high impact on nature. | New |
Read more about our actions in our sustainability statement in section E4 Biodiversity and ecosystems.
As the largest financial services group in the Nordics, we ensure individuals and households can participate in the financial system in a way that is safe, fair and supportive of their financial well-being. We recognise that there are risks and barriers that can make financial well-being harder to achieve. Digital accessibility challenges, exposure to fraud and data privacy are critical issues that require continuous attention.
Developing
initiatives within our three key areas of financial well-being.
Strengthening
how we measure outcomes and follow up on results.
Adressing
ongoing challenges like digital accessibility, fraud prevention, and data privacy.
Expanding
successful programs like our financial health check tools and educational partnerships across all Nordic markets.
Read more about this theme in our Annual Report, the section called S4 Consumers and end-users.
As an employer we are committed to fostering a sustainable workplace, enabling growth and career development for all, actively support employee well-being, and prioritise diversity and inclusion.
We also earn our stakeholders’ trust through high ethical standards, strong corporate governance, regulatory compliance and effective risk management, means by which we also contribute to the safety, resilience and inclusivity of the societies in which we live.
| Target | Status |
| Own workforce – foster a sustainable workplace | |
| Ensure that each gender has at least 40% representation at the top three leadership levels combined by the end of 2030. | Met for 2025 |
| Achieve a minimum average index score of 90 for diversity and inclusion by the end of 2030. | 89 |
| Human rights | |
| Operations and supply chain: By 2030, ensure that all suppliers in all high-risk sectors and countries are covered by an in-depth human rights impact assessment and that identified impacts are addressed according to our human rights due diligence process. | New
|
Read more about our targets and actions in our sustainability statement in section S1 Own workforce and G1 Business conduct, and our Human Rights report.
Our long-term objective is to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Achieving this objective depends in part on the transition of our customers and society, including regulatory, technological and market developments. We support this objective through our interim sector targets, transition planning and ongoing work with customers in the Nordic transition. As transition pathways, available solutions and external circumstances evolve, we may adapt our approach and actions accordingly.
Sustainable banking
Nordea is on track in reducing emissions from its lending portfolio. With a 36% reduction we’re closing in on our 2030 target for the lending portfolio. Furthermore, we continue to support the transition. Since 2022 Nordea has facilitated more than EUR 185bn in sustainable financing, well on track to meet its 2025 target of more than EUR 200bn.
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Diversity & inclusion
We believe that a variety of personalities, backgrounds and experiences lays the foundation for great performance, and that making use of all our different qualities enables us to serve our diverse range of customers much better.
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Financial skills
At Nordea, we want to help people build the financial skills that are important for financial stability and a good quality of life. Our employees teach these skills to thousands of children and young people every year.
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