Munich Re Foundation - 2021 carbon footprint

We have been calculating our carbon footprint ever since the foundation was first established. It comprises the following components:

1. emissions from business operations (electricity and heating in the offices),
2. business trips made by our employees,
3. and our projects.

Most emissions in the projects category stem from travel by participants to attend conferences and seminars. In comparison with 2020, our carbon footprint was reduced by a further tonne – falling from 17 to just over 16 tonnes of carbon. This was largely due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. All events were organised in a digital format and no business trips were undertaken. Calculating the carbon footprint for digital events is a complex process. For our events, the total amounts were in the hundreds of kilogram range. For the carbon offsetting calculation, we therefore decided to round up to a full tonne in the projects category. These emissions and those from our offices* and business trips are offset by our founder, Munich Re, through the purchase of carbon credits.

*For the emissions from offices we base our figures on the methods used at Munich Re, see Munich Re sustainability report.