1. Home
  2. About us

Sustainability

By building clean energy projects, we’re making real, lasting, positive impacts on people, biodiversity, and climate.

Our sustainability priorities

People
Nature
Climate
Governance
We aim to give more back to society and nature than we take, by integrating solutions to social and environmental challenges into our clean energy projects. To do this, we’ve developed a strategic approach that addresses challenges and creates opportunities in four key areas: people, nature, climate, and governance. 

A clean energy transformation that works for people


The clean energy buildout must work for the many, not just the few. 

Renewables can be a force for social and environmental justice, with the power to fundamentally reshape how our societies look and operate. Because people are at the core of our work, we're putting robust human rights practices in place across our entire business. That includes our operations, supply chains, and the communities where we're present.
Our sustainability targets
  • 2023: Develop external human rights reporting and track our most salient risks
  • 2025: Achieve a total recordable injury rate (TRIR) of 2.5 per million hours worked
  • 2030: Reach a 40/60 gender balance between women and men across our workforce
  • Be in the top 10% of companies benchmarked for employee satisfaction

Clean energy that revives nature


If done right, the clean energy buildout can make a lasting, positive impact on nature. 

We’re determined to leave natural ecosystems in a better state than we found them. That’s why we’ve committed to having a net-positive biodiversity impact from all renewable energy projects commissioned from 2030 onward. We’re learning as we go, piloting innovative biodiversity projects to gain experience from our successes and avoid missteps. 

Ørsted is conducting a coral restoration feasibility study (ReCoral by ØrstedTM) in Taiwan, in collaboration with the Fisheries Research Institute of the Ministry of Agriculture's Penghu Fisheries and Biological Research Center. The project involves attempting to encourage the growth of natural coral larvae on the underwater foundation structures of wind turbines at the Greater Changhua offshore wind farm.
Our sustainability targets
  • 2025: 40% reduction in freshwater withdrawal intensity (m³ per GWh)
  • 2030: Net-positive biodiversity impact from all new renewable energy projects commissioned from 2030 onward
  • Zero waste from wind turbine blades going to landfills

Science-based climate action


We’re aligned with science to tackle emissions across our value chain and deliver fully decarbonized energy solutions.

To be a true frontrunner – a catalyst for a greener world and a net-zero economy – we need to deliver zero-carbon solutions. This means tackling all emissions linked to our operations, energy generation, and supply chain.

To achieve this, we’re collaborating with experts across industries to research, test, pilot, and scale new technologies. This includes solutions for hard-to-decarbonize sectors like materials manufacturing and shipping.

For our company, the path to net-zero is clear – but there is still a ways to go. Our ambition is to reach net-zero emissions across our entire value chain (Scopes 1-3) by 2040. This long-term target has been approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), a first among energy companies. We have also developed a portfolio of new interim targets to achieve by 2030:
Our climate targets
  • Scope 1-2 emissions intensity: 99 % reduction by 2030 (from 2006)  
  • Scope 1-3 emissions intensity (excl. natural gas sales): 77 % reduction by 2030 
  • Scope 3 emissions (from natural gas sales): 67 % reduction by 2030.

Governance that enables the right decisions


Making our business a force for good means ensuring our processes and decisions move in the same direction.

We want sustainability and integrity integrated into every aspect of how we do business, from managing relationships, to financing operations, to making decisions. This is more than just the right thing to do. It's a strong way to build a resilient and future-fit organization, one capable of navigating through an increasingly complex regulatory and reporting landscape.
Our governance targets
  • Embed sustainability consistently across our operating model
  • Ensure all future projects are EU taxonomy-aligned
  • Perform code of conduct risk screenings on all sourcing contracts worth more than 3 million DKK

Green energy to power lasting, positive impact 

We’re accelerating the energy transition, building clean power sources for a thriving planet. 

Read more about our sustainability approach