Sustainability

, Together, we drive your sustainable transformation forward: From advisory to implementation

Christine Rademacher (CR): We finance all necessary steps on the path towards sustainable success, providing expert assistance to companies at every point along the way – with customised financing solutions that are tailored to the specific requirements of each transformation stage. Our internal experts are an important part of this process, and we develop individual solutions for each and every one of our clients.

Wolfgang Vitzthum (WV): In doing so, we always align our actions with the company and its needs. Our service portfolio is built on three pillars: excellent advisory, innovative financing products and long-standing expertise. Since 2025, we have a nationwide team at six locations that supports our clients with sector-specific transformation advisory and financing solutions. The team has a holistic and strategic approach. We support the transformation of our clients from strategy formulation to concrete implementation and measure financing.

Tim Koenemann (TK): I will give an example from the area of our Center of Competence Green Infrastructure Finance (CoC GIF), via which we specifically promote the expansion of renewable energies: For decades, we have been financing wind and solar projects to generate green electricity from renewable energies and since the end of 2020 have been able to almost double the CoC GIF portfolio to 12 billion euros (as of May 2025). In the next step, we aim to grow our credit commitments to the sector to 20 billion euros by 2030. Increasingly, the focus is also on financing technologies adjacent to the energy transition – such as green hydrogen production or batteries for electric vehicles – and the specific green infrastructure necessary – such as storage, grids, and pipelines.

WV: Financing sustainable transformation also includes providing advisory services to clients, covering all key issues, challenges and opportunities. Our advisory focuses on developing and implementing transformation plans, reporting / ESG KPIs, ESG ratings and sustainable finance. In other words, we provide sector-specific expertise on areas such as carbon reduction, energy / in-house electricity production, raw material efficiency and recycling.

CR: We have also established a broad network of cooperation partners who provide our clients with individual and sustainable advisory and engineering services. When it comes to energy, this includes renowned specialists e.g. DMT Energy Engineers or Engie Impact. All of this underlines our aim to be a partner to our clients in their sustainability efforts, following our guiding principle of working closely together with them at all times.

WV: Mutual networking opportunities to discuss sustainability-related issues are particularly useful for small and medium-sized companies (SMEs). After all, networking offers market players the chance to learn from each other by exchanging information and experiences. It also makes it easier to take on certain challenges, for example in the context of investments in energy self-sufficiency.

WV: For example, companies need to build up the necessary know-how for their own green energy production and procurement and ensure the business case for more sustainability. This also involves improving their cost structure and thereby their competitiveness. We can demonstrate to our clients how to achieve this as part of our advisory.

At the end of the day, we’re all in the same boat. For us as Commerzbank, achieving the sustainability goals is strategically important. Our clients are also feeling the pressure: more and more companies are integrating sustainability aspects into their business models, and competition is growing.

CR: Let’s not forget the sheer diversity of relevant sectors and markets. And because every company’s transformation has a different complexity, solutions need to be both creative and flexible – for us and for our clients. Our focus is very much on combining our advisory approach with new, attractive financial products that are developed specifically with green transformation in mind.

CR: Sustainability remains a major and global issue across national borders, regardless of the headwinds from Washington. While many countries are stepping up their efforts, not all of them have the expertise they need. This opens up many opportunities for German companies. When our clients explore new markets, Commerzbank is their international partner of choice.

TK: In the area of green infrastructure, we support project financing globally from our hubs in Hamburg, New York, and Singapore. The financing needs related to the energy transition are growing significantly worldwide. For this reason, we have recently strengthened our specialist teams for green infrastructure through the addition of over 30 employees and also expanded the relevant interface departments. We have an international team with extensive structuring expertise, many years of experience working in global markets, and very good networking in the sector. Additionally, we are very well connected in the financial industry. Depending on the needs and risk profile, we develop suitable financing structures for our clients and jointly implement their projects.

CR: Green transformation is seen as the game-changer. Our broad product range aims to harmonise environmental, social and economic aspects and reflects our focus on a sustainable future. We offer customised sustainable financial products that are in line with corporate clients’ needs, size and transformation level. While our ESG KPI-linked loans encourage our clients to step up their sustainability activities, ESG rating-linked structures offer another viable option. Clients that already have very sustainable or green projects to their name often prefer one of our use-of-proceeds products, meaning products whose proceeds are dedicated to a sustainable purpose.

WV: As a rule, we strive to develop products that drive and promote sustainable transformation, especially for the SMEs of tomorrow. Our latest product is "ESG-Zukunftsfinanzierung". With it, we support young, emerging companies in Germany that demonstrably make a positive contribution in the areas of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) even more effectively. This innovative financing approach is fully aimed at promoting growth, expansion, and internationalization.

We finance companies that have already successfully navigated initial growth phases and can demonstrate an advanced business model – including existing products, customers, suppliers, ongoing cash flows, and adequate financial reporting.

TK: Against the background of our customer and product spectrum, we see ourselves as pioneers in terms of sustainability. With our bilateral and syndicated non-recourse project financing, we exclusively finance companies and projects in the area of green infrastructure. For instance, Commerzbank is a Tier-1 bank in the project financing of offshore wind farms: in recent years, we have supported more than 20 such projects in Germany, the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, the USA, and Taiwan - among other roles as lead arranger and hedging bank.