A green Schuldschein loan was issued to interested investors for the first time in April 2023. The volume of last year’s issue amounted to €300 million. With the issue of a second green Schuldschein loan worth €350 million, which has now been completed, the Dürr Group is consistently pursuing its path of sustainable corporate financing. As with the first green Schuldschein loan, the SDax Group is also committed to the exclusively “green” use of the funds raised through this loan.
Dietmar Heinrich, CFO of Dürr AG, commented: “Through our Sustainable Finance Framework, we have been offering investors the opportunity to support sustainable projects for some time now. We are all the more pleased to see such resolute support from investors for our commitment to sustainability and environmental protection. The positive response to the issue of this loan underpins investors’ confidence in the Dürr Group's sustainability strategy.”
The proceeds have been earmarked, among other things, for operating expenses arising from taxonomy-aligned customer projects. In addition, the Dürr Group is investing in the sustainability of its own sites, for example by installing photovoltaics for green self-generated electricity and by constructing energy-efficient buildings. “The Schuldschein loan will also help to further improve the maturity structure of our financial liabilities,” Heinrich added.
The green Schuldschein loan, which was significantly oversubscribed, consists of tranches with terms of three, five, and seven years, subject to fixed and variable interest rates. The average interest rate currently stands at 5.04%. The transaction was signed on April 11; the Dürr Group will receive the proceeds on April 23. The transaction was arranged and structured by UniCredit, BNP Paribas, Deutsche Bank, and Landesbank Baden-Württemberg. Dürr AG’s legal adviser was the Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer law firm.
Sustainable financing based on the Sustainable Finance Framework
In issuing the loan, the company benefited from its Sustainable Finance Framework, which was published in November 2022. The framework specifies the purposes for which sustainable financing instruments such as the green Schuldschein loan may be used, and imposes regular reporting obligations on the Dürr Group. This transparency meets investors’ information requirements and makes it substantially easier to raise “green” funds on the capital market.