This is done through energy management, environmentally friendly waste management and environmentally and climate-friendly policies for procurement and business travel.
In 2024, Danmarks Nationalbank has analyzed the bank's most significant sustainability impacts of its internal operations and calculated the climate footprint of internal operations.
The climate footprint of internal operations is calculated according to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. The analysis is based on the principles of a double materiality assessment, which you can read more about at the bottom of this page.
Danmarks Nationalbank continues its work to improve the data basis. Increased knowledge about the climate footprint contributes to both internal and external transparency. At the same time, it allows for internal prioritization of the reduction efforts that have the greatest potential.
In 2024, Danmarks Nationalbank worked on various concrete sustainability initiatives, including optimizing IT capacity, doubling the number of charging stations for electric cars, continuously adjusting energy consumption in our buildings, and focusing on green requirements in our procurement.
In addition, Danmarks Nationalbank has continued its work on calculating its carbon footprint, which began in 2023. Danmarks Nationalbank continues its work to improve the data basis.
Danmarks Nationalbank's footprint is divided into the three scopes defined by the Green House Gas Protocol
Scope 1 covers direct emissions from sources that the organization itself owns or controls, which for Danmarks Nationalbank are emissions from fuel for its own vehicles.
Scope 2 covers indirect emissions from the consumption of purchased energy generated outside the organization's boundaries but used by it. For Danmarks Nationalbank this includes electricity and district heating.
Scope 3 covers other indirect emissions that the organization neither owns nor controls directly, but which occur throughout the value chain. The Greenhouse Gas Protocol divides these emissions into 15 categories.
Seven categories are relevant to Danmarks Nationalbank.
Climate footprint 2024
CO2e tons
| Scope 1 | 19 | 0 % |
| Vehicles | 19 | 0 % |
| Scope 2 | 332 | 2 % |
| Electricity | 144 | 1 % |
| District heating | 188 | 1 % |
| Scope 3 | 18,258 | 98 % |
| Category 1: Purchased goods and services | 16,736 | 90 % |
| Category 3: Fuel- and energy-related activities | 230 | 0 % |
| Category 4: Upstream transportation and distribution | 41 | 1 % |
| Category 5: Waste generated in operations | 121 | 3 % |
| Category 6: Business travel | 629 | 3 % |
| Category 7: Employee commuting | 494 | 1 % |
| Category 12: End-of-life treatment of sold products | 7 | 0 % |
| Total | 18,609 | 100 % |
Danmarks Nationalbank has an ambition to reduce its own carbon footprint, and therefore has many activities to achieve this. This includes a number of initiatives aimed at reducing CO2e emissions from our internal operations.
Danmark Nationalbank's climate footprint
Selected CO2e-reducing measures for Danmarks Nationalbank as a workplace
IT
At Danmarks Nationalbank, we use digital tools in our daily work and large amounts of data for analysis. Danmarks Nationalbank also provides important financial infrastructure for the financial sector and systems for collecting financial data. One of Danmarks Nationalbank's biggest carbon footprint from internal operations is the use of IT.
Therefore, Danmarks Nationalbank is continuously working to optimize the use of IT. In 2024, Danmarks Nationalbank has worked to optimize the use of servers and databases and continuously clean up hardware and available IT systems.
.
Cash in circulation
The cash cycle starts and ends at Danmarks Nationalbank. Danmarks Nationalbank is responsible for the production of banknotes and coins, quality assuring them and delivering them to the cash depots.
This task affects the bank's total CO2 emissions.
When choosing suppliers of coins and banknotes, Danmarks Nationalbank focuses on sustainable production methods and agreements that include concrete and traceable data as well as measurement and reporting of CO2 emissions.
In January 2025, Danmarks Nationalbank signed an agreement with the Spanish coin manufacturer Real Casa de la Moneda as the new producer of Danish circulation coins. In the tender process, CSR was emphasized, among other things.
Restoration of Havnegade 5
Sustainability and climate are parameters in the renovation of Havnegade. The building is listed, which means that some solutions are constrained, but the environmental consequences of the planned measures are considered where possible.
Several maintenance projects are being carried out with a focus on saving energy. This includes the installation of energy-efficient systems, better insulation, and the use of materials that both reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions.
The goal is to avoid major maintenance work at the National Bank after the renovation. This goal is supported by a plan to ensure that the building's structures and installations are durable and easy to maintain. This will reduce the need for future repairs and save resources and money. Likewise, materials are recycled wherever possible.
The bank's internal operations
While Danmarks Nationalbank's premises in Havnegade are being renovated, the bank is housed in rented premises at Langelinie Allé 47 in Copenhagen.
The building at Langelinie is highly energy efficient, which helps the bank save energy. For example, the indoor climate is regulated with natural ventilation, groundwater cooling and thermoactive decks that allow energy to be stored and used at the most advantageous time.
Danmarks Nationalbank continuously monitors energy consumption in the building, performs energy audits and communicates behavioral information to the bank's employees. Through knowledge sharing with internal stakeholders and the landlord, Danmarks Nationalbank constantly investigates opportunities for energy savings.
In the building's underground parking garage, the bank's employees can use charging stations for electric bikes and electric cars. In addition, employees can borrow electric bikes and regular bikes as well as helmets for external meetings. An internal survey in 2024 showed that almost 70 percent of employees cycle to work at least half of their working days.
Danmarks Nationalbank's canteen focuses on cooking in a way that benefits the environment and the climate. The canteen uses seasonal produce and serves more plant proteins and less meat. In addition, the canteen works to reduce food waste by making better use of purchased food.
Double materiality assessment
At Danmarks Nationalbank, we have used the principles of a double materiality assessment to assess which sustainability areas are material to us. The assessment has shown that our operations have the greatest impact within the following five areas:
- Climate change, particularly our energy consumption in buildings and at our suppliers
- Use of resources, particularly our waste
- Terms and conditions for our own staff
- Terms and conditions for employees in our supply chain
- The personal data we manage at Nationalbanken
This means that it is within these five areas that we at Danmarks Nationalbank should focus the further development of our sustainability work.
The analysis has also shown that there are topics that are not relevant or possible to prioritize in internal operations. These are pollution, water and marine resources, biodiversity and affected communities.