Environmental objectives

The Group's environmental efforts focus on the areas where we have identified the biggest impacts. In 2007, the Group implemented a climate strategy that has led to the achievement of carbon neutrality in December 2009. The Group reached carbon neutrality through reductions from energy consumption and air travel.

Environmental management system (EMS)

Goals and activities 2010	Status 2010	Goals and activities 2011
Continue implementation of the EMS in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Ireland and Northern Ireland.	Internal Audit checked data for energy and CO2 in 2010.	Continued implementation of the EMS, based on ISO14001 and ISO 14064.
Reorganise internal audit and establish internal audit team.	Implemented new business procedures for Internal Audit.	Establish the new business procedures for Internal Audit, and perform audits of individual departments and/or branches.
Conduct internal re-audit of selected units and new audit at selected country units.	Postponed until 2011.
Continue implementation of EMS in Finland.	Environmental management in Finland is now at the same level as in the rest of the Group.
Improve data quality in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Ireland, Northern Ireland and Finland.	Data quality has been improved significantly in 2010, partly by means of the Group’s envirornmental data reporting system.	Continue to work on data quality in our reporting system. We will investigate the possibilities for online registration of electricity consumption, among other things.
Tighten internal controls of environmental data.		Collaborate with Internal Audit on quarterly internal controls of our environmental data.

Supplier requirements

Goals and activities 2010	Status 2010	Goals and activities 2011
Raise overall requirements for environmental screening of suppliers. In 2010, all agreements with new suppliers of selected product groups must have a minimal environmental management system or a certified environmental management system. This goal replaces the goal of 90%.	All new suppliers in selected product groups with which we make agreements must have a minimal EMS or a certified EMS.	Through our programme for responsible sourcing, we will expand our work on environmental requirements to other suppliers besides those in the selected product groups.
Finish implementation in Finland.	Has been implemented in our central purchasing functions.
Follow up through internal audit.	Postponed until 2011.
Implement environmental requirements for major household appliances and interior design.	Postponed until 2011.	In 2011, we will review of environmental requirements in the IT area.

Resource consumption and emissions

Goals and activities 2010	Status 2010	Goals and activities 2011
Reduce internal paper consumption per employee in Denmark by 30 % from the 2007 level. We expect to achieve this goal in 2011.	The Group's paper consumption fell 21 % from 2008 to 2010 as a result of the digitisation of documents and processes. We also ran a campaign to draw attention to the staff’s printing habits.	Reduce internal paper consumption per employee in Denmark by 30 % from the 2007 level. We expect to achieve this goal in 2011.
Identify possible further reductions of paper consumption through digitisation.	We implemented Danske Netpost and eBoks for Realkredit Danmark, among other things.
Digitise all internal magazines in Sweden.	Postponed until 2011.
Carry out a range of energy-saving projects in head office and branches in Denmark on the basis of the identification. Continue to identify the possibilities for energy-saving projects in Norway, Ireland, Northern Ireland and Finland.	We set a specific target for reducing electricity consumption: by the end of 2014, we will reduce it by 20% from the level in 2009.
Set reduction target for the whole group.	We set a specific target for reducing electricity consumption: by the end of 2014, we will reduce it by 20% from the level in 2009.
Implement new lighting plan for the entire group.	The development of the lighting plan with be incorporated in a dedicated working group for the purpose of determining a shared plan for the entire group.
Continue to identify the possibilities for energy optimisation in Denmark. Identify possibilities for energy optimisation in Norway, Sweden, Ireland and Northern Ireland. Reduce energy consumption in Danish operations by 10 % from the 2008 level within five years.	Identification of energy-saving projects has been completed at head office and most branches. Norway, Ireland, Northern Ireland and Finland have begun to identify possible energy-saving projects. Energy consumption in Danish operations has been reduced by 10 % from 2008 to 2009.
Continue implementation of climate strategy. See targets for energy and paper above.	Implementation proceeded as planned.
Maintain carbon neutrality	Achieved carbon neutrality through reduction of own emissions by 2 % and purchase of carbon credits.
Reduce carbon emmisions from air travel by 15% from 2008.	Group's carbon emissions from air travel fell 32 % from 2008 to 2010.	Keep the 2009 objective to reduce Group carbon emissions from air travel.

Waste management

Goals and activities 2010	Status 2010	Goals and activities 2011
Improve waste recycling in Sweden, Norway, Ireland and Northern Ireland.	Postponed to 2011.	Improve waste recycling in Implement business procedure for handling electronic waste.

Employee training

Goals and activities 2010	Status 2010	Goals and activities 2011
Continue internal communications activities on climate and environmental issues.	We communicated various environmental and climate initiatives on an ongoing basis. For example, we ran a print campaign intended to draw attention to the staff’s printing habits.	Communicate our target for reducing electricity consumption to all Group employees.
Hold information meetings and training sessions for purchasing officers, environmental coordinators and boiler men.	We held informational meetings and training for purchasing officers. At least once a quarter, we held a meeting (virtual or physical) with the Group’s environmental coordinators.
Launch internal energy-savings campaign in Finland and Norway.	In Norway, the project to attain Eco Lighthouse certification (a Norwegian programme) occasioned extensive communcations about climate and the envirornment.

Last updated on 15 February, 2010