Future Needs Resilience
Climate Adaptation and Resilience Through DEKRA Climate Impact
With the launch of the DEKRA Climate Impact Program in 2025, DEKRA has intensified its efforts to address the consequences of climate change. In addition to implementing an internal carbon pricing mechanism, the program places a strong focus on actively supporting climate action and adaptation projects.
Climate change presents companies with a dual challenge: reducing greenhouse gas emissions while simultaneously adapting to a changing world. The DEKRA Climate Impact Program (DCI) was designed to address both dimensions through a holistic approach that combines climate mitigation and climate adaptation to strengthen resilience. Introduced in 2025 as part of DEKRA's 100th anniversary, the program represents a forward-looking climate commitment for the company's second century and aligns with DEKRA's purpose: Securing the Future.
Climate Adaptation: the Two Pillars of the Program
The program is built on two pillars: DEKRA's own decarbonization and climate adaptation efforts as well as the support of external climate-related projects:
- Within its own operations, DEKRA aligns its transformation roadmap with the 1.5°C pathway.
- Greenhouse gas emissions are measured, reduced, and reflected through an internal carbon pricing mechanism.
- Key areas of focus include energy and mobility.
At the same time, climate scenarios, risks, and opportunities help the company better understand the potential impacts of climate change and develop appropriate adaptation strategies at an early stage.
Supporting External Climate Projects Through the DEKRA Climate Fund
The second pillar extends beyond DEKRA's own operations. Through the DEKRA Climate Fund, the company works together with recognized partners to support projects that make a measurable contribution to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These initiatives address both climate change mitigation and adaptation. Funding is linked to DEKRA's remaining greenhouse gas emissions but is deliberately not based on purchasing carbon credits or relying on traditional offsetting models.
Addressing the Consequences of Climate Change: Safe Drinking Water for 860,000 Children
The need for this broader perspective becomes clear when considering the impacts of climate change. Water scarcity can make entire regions more difficult to inhabit, while health risks, child mortality, and displacement may increase. Children and communities with limited adaptive capacity are often among the most vulnerable. One example is the partnership between DEKRA and UNICEF. In Ethiopia and India, climate-resilient water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) projects are expected to provide approximately 860,000 children and their families with access to safe drinking water. Over a five-year period, DEKRA is providing €5 million to support measures such as solar-powered water pumps, local capacity building, and modern water treatment solutions.
Peatlands, Forests, and Biodiversity: Restoring Natural Ecosystems
The protection and restoration of natural ecosystems also form an important part of the program. Together with the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union Germany (NABU), DEKRA supports the restoration of peatlands in Germany, England, and Finland. Peatlands are among the world's most effective natural carbon sinks. When drained, they release large amounts of carbon dioxide; when rewetted, they can regain their capacity to store carbon and support biodiversity. Additional initiatives range from the restoration of forests and river landscapes in Brazil's Cerrado region, supported together with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), to peatland restoration projects carried out with volunteers from Bergwaldprojekt in Germany.
Beyond Carbon Neutrality: Impact Instead of Accounting-Based Compensation
The program reflects an evolving understanding of corporate climate responsibility. By 2025, DEKRA had achieved its target of carbon neutrality for selected emission categories through voluntary compensation measures. With the Climate Impact Program, the focus is now shifting beyond the accounting-based neutralization of emissions toward the question of where tangible and lasting impact can be achieved. The emphasis is on effective action, both within DEKRA's own operations and in regions that are particularly vulnerable to climate change.
Measuring Impact: Indicators, Progress Reports, and SDG Alignment
The impact of supported projects is evaluated through qualitative progress reports and quantitative performance indicators, which are aligned with the relevant UN Sustainable Development Goals. This approach aims to make climate responsibility more measurable, transparent, and credible. DCI is therefore more than a climate program. It represents a call to consider climate mitigation and adaptation as inseparable components of a resilient future. A society becomes more resilient not only by reducing emissions, but also by strengthening its ability to cope with the consequences of a changing climate.
Recognition for this approach has already followed. The program received first place at the German Sustainability Project Award 2026, was named a finalist in the Reuters Sustainability Awards 2026, and was nominated for the German Federal Government's CSR Award in 2025.