Exemplary Energy and Climate: adhesion of Canton of Geneva and extension to climate-friendly financial flows with PUBLICA, Suva and SBB pension fund
Bern, 05.09.2022 - Under the aegis of the Exemplary Energy and Climate initiative, important Swiss providers of publicly relevant services are making their contribution to the Energy Strategy 2050 and the Paris Climate Agreement. At today's annual event in Geneva, the initiative is celebrating its expansion to include a new field of action and new participants.
Climate-friendly financial flows
Institutional investors play a decisive role in the necessary decarbonisation of the economy by 2050. From now on, the Exemplary Energy and Climate initiative will accompany Swiss pension funds as well as other financial market players in aligning their financial flows to net zero. To this end, the participants set measurable climate targets in the relevant asset classes. They also report on their progress in a transparent and comparable manner. The first participants to commit themselves to this approach are PUBLICA (the Federal Pension Fund), Suva and the SBB pension fund. These manage assets worth a total of over CHF 120 billion (as at the end of 2021).
The Canton of Geneva joins the initiative
Geneva's electrical services (SIG – Services Industriels de Genève), Geneva Airport and Skyguide have been involved in the initiative for several years. Now the Canton of Geneva is reaffirming and extending its commitment to the initiative. It is the first canton to join the initiative with the seven cantonal institutions including Fondations Immobilières de Droit Public (FIDP), Fondation pour les terrains industriels de Genève (FTI), University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland (HES-SO), Hospice Général, Office cantonal de l'énergie (OCEN), Office cantonal des Bâtiments (OCBA) and Transports publics genevois (TPG). At the annual event, State Councillor Antonio Hodgers and representatives of these institutions will present some of their practical examples and ambitious plans in the field of energy and climate.
Quotes
Daniel Büchel, Vice Director of the SFOE: “The Swiss energy market is facing some major challenges. The federal government is reliant on all relevant market players making an active contribution towards restructuring the energy sector.”
Antonio Hodgers, Geneva State Councillor: “The fact that the cantonal institutions have joined is a testament to the dynamic nature of the canton of Geneva. Based on the cantonal climate plan and the new energy regulations, we can now drastically reduce our greenhouse gas emissions quickly and reliably.”
Doris Bianchi, Director of PUBLICA: “PUBLICA wants to support the companies that it invests in on their journey towards net zero. To this end, PUBLICA believes in maintaining a dialogue with the affected companies. This often achieves more than exclusion.”
Dominik Irniger, Head of Asset Management at PF SBB: “Climate change poses a threat to everyone. It can only be stopped if all participants are pulling in the same direction. The SBB pension fund plays its part in this within the scope of its investment activities.”
Christoph Bianchet, Chief Investment Officer at Suva: “Suva manages a large volume of assets. We take this issue very seriously and aim to make an active contribution towards achieving the Paris climate targets with our investments.”
About the initiative
Fifteen major Swiss providers of publicly relevant services contribute to the Energy Strategy 2050 and the Paris Climate Agreement of 2015 in the Exemplary Energy and Climate initiative – Swiss Post (including PostBus and PostFinance), the ETH Domain, Zurich Airport AG, Geneva Airport, SBB, RUAG MRO Holding AG, SIG, Skyguide, SRG, Suva, Swisscom, the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS) and the Federal Civil Administration. Companies are continuously improving their energy efficiency and switching to renewable energies. They provide transparent reporting on their target achievement and share their experiences for the benefit of other companies and organisations. The Energy and Climate Report 2021 was published on the initiative's website a few days ago. The Exemplary Energy and Climate initiative was launched in 2013 with initial targets for 2020. The new targets run until 2030.
Information for journalists
You can find further information at www.exemplary-energy-climate.admin.ch. We will be happy to provide you with high-resolution image material, where necessary, and arrange interviews with the participants involved.
Address for enquiries
SFOE Media Office, 058 460 81 52, media@bfe.admin.ch
Stefanie Bertschi, Exemplary Energy and Climate, 058 467 88 54, stefanie.bertschi@bfe.admin.ch
Publisher
Swiss Federal Office of Energy
http://www.bfe.admin.ch
