WWF and Vaillant: working together on the heating transition

Berlin/Remscheid, 29 March 2023

• Joint information campaign on climate-friendly heating with heat pumps

• WWF and Vaillant are further developing the heating technology specialist’s sustainability strategy

• Support for WWF conservation projects for biodiversity and species diversity as of April

The environmental protection organisation WWF and the heating technology specialist Vaillant are entering into a partnership. The cooperation will start in Germany and will initially be extended to five other European countries in April 2023. One goal of the cooperation, which will last at least three years, is to successfully shape the heating transition and add weight to the topic of climate-friendly heating in the energy and climate debate. To this end, the two partners are launching a nationwide information campaign. The heating transition is the term used to describe the switch to climate-friendly heating systems to decarbonise the buildings sector. In addition, WWF and Vaillant will further develop the company’s sustainability strategy, which has been in place since 2011. Starting in April of this year, Vaillant will support a WWF project to preserve biodiversity and species diversity.

A successful heating transition is key to achieving climate targets

Around 15 per cent of CO2 emissions in Germany are generated in the buildings sector.1 In order to achieve the climate targets set for the sector, its greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced by more than 65 per cent by 2030 compared to 1990.2 According to plans by the German federal government, this requires the installation of at least 500,000 environmentally friendly electric heat pumps every year.3 In 2022, 236,000 heat pumps were installed in Germany.4 Oil or gas heating systems are currently still in use in around three-quarters of properties in Germany.5 With their joint information campaign, entitled “Making the heating transition happen together”, WWF and Vaillant want to inform consumers about the climate protection potential of switching to environmentally friendly heat pumps and thus drive forward the heating transition in Germany.

Greenhouse gas reduction and biodiversity

A second focus area of the cooperation is the further development of the Vaillant Group’s sustainability strategy. Initially, the focus will be on further reducing greenhouse gases in the company’s operations. The development of a long-term strategy to conserve biodiversity and strengthen species conservation is also planned. Vaillant has consolidated its sustainability activities in a strategic programme since 2011. The company’s ambitious sustainability targets include reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent by 2030 and fully decarbonising business operations by 2050. In 2022, the company joined the Science Based Targets initiative, and regularly reports on the progress of its sustainability activities.

Conservation of habitats in Germany’s rivers

As part of the partnership, WWF and Vaillant are committed to biodiversity and species diversity in rivers. Ecologically intact bodies of water are the basis for biodiversity in river ecosystems. As a natural area, they contribute to the well-being of society, protect against flooding and are the basis of life for a variety of plants and animals. From April 2023, Vaillant will support the WWF initiative “Living Rivers in Germany”. One of the first flagship projects is the renaturation of Wielenbach am Lech in Bavaria. Artificial barriers that affect the ecosystem of aquatic life are being dismantled there, regaining a near-natural habitat for many species.