DW Sustainability Management

Sustainability has been a core part of DW's corporate goals since 2019. DW’s Sustainability Management department has developed the sustainability strategy with targets and measures based on internationally recognized methods and standards. The measures are implemented in cooperation with the other departments, which are jointly responsible for achieving the goals.

The Directorate General and Sustainability Management prepare the DW Sustainability Report every two years according to the criteria of the recognized DNK quality standard in order to transparently present progress and challenges in DW's sustainability commitment.

Climate protection is one of the most important fields of action in DW's commitment to sustainability. In 2021, DW adopted its own climate protection strategy, which aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2030 and progress to net zero emissions by 2045 at the latest. This strategy focuses on measures for different areas of action: travel, energy management, project planning, procurement, production, supply chain and adaptation to climate change impacts. 

The Sustainability Management team meets regularly with representatives from all directorates and concerned departments to jointly develop DW's sustainability commitment and implement measures from the climate protection strategy.

A quick overview of DW's current progress towards sustainable goals:

Green production

At the start of 2020, DW Director General Peter Limbourg together with the then Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, Monika Grütters, and the German film and TV industry signed a "Joint Declaration on Sustainability in Film and Series Production".

DW travel magazine CHECK-IN took part in the "100 Green Productions" initiative and managed to decrease about 70% of carbon emissions. DW productions JaafarTalk and DW News participated in the "Reallabor" project for sustainable audiovisual productions organized by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media and the regional film funding institutions and contributed to the development of binding minimum environmental standards.

Sustainable culture

At DW we understand the importance of embedding sustainable values and behavior in the way we operate. DW encourages employees to share best practice in green ways of working. Through internal communications campaigns and other regional activities, DW promotes staff engagement with environmental issues.

- Climate action in everyday life: Everything we do is relevant for the climate. Deciding to use more climate-friendly alternatives can make a difference. This video playfully demonstrates what changes we can all make to our every-day lives to contribute to sustainability. 

- Cycling Challenge 'bike2work':

 DW participated in the Bonn city-sponsored "Bike to Work" competition alongside 13 companies. Ranking second, the DW teams from Bonn and Berlin cycled more than 20,000 km, cutting down about 5 tons of carbon emissions of their daily commute by ditching the car for biking. 

- Diversity and inclusion: 

Around 1,700 permanent employees and as many freelancers from 140 nations work at the DW offices in Bonn and Berlin, in addition to staff in our global studios and foreign bureaus. Such diversity is the basis for the global relevance of DW's programs. DW has set itself the goal of becoming not only one of the most diverse, but also one of the most inclusive media organizations in Germany by 2025. More information is available here.

Sustainability in DW's programs

Environmental protection, social justice, freedom and human rights are amongst DW's focus topics. In 2018, DW was among the first signatory media organizations to the United Nations SDG Media Compact, which aims to advance the Sustainable Development Goals through the dissemination of facts, human stories and solutions. 

DW's Global Ideas, for example, with its now more than 250 TV reports, 400 online articles and 50 multimedia specials have won multiple national and international awards, including the German Environmental Media Award.

Our most successful environmental formats can be found here: Global 3000, Eco Africa, Eco India, the YouTube channel Planet A and the podcast On the Green Fence.

Contact us:
To connect with our sustainability practice or inquire about our work in sustainability, please contact nachhaltigkeit@dw.com