The ten existing actors (the Post, ETH Board, Genève Aéroport, SBB, SIG, Skyguide, Suva, Swisscom, the DDPS and the Civil Federal Administration) account for more than 2.5% of energy consumption in Switzerland. In 2013, they joined forces in the Exemplary Energy and Climate initiative and have since been pursuing shared goals to increase energy efficiency and promote the switch to renewable energies.

Five more companies are now to join the initiative. They are all leading public service providers in their sectors. PostBus and PostFinance were already represented in the initiative as part of Swiss Post until the end of 2020. As of this year, they will join the initiative as actors in their own right. RUAG MRO Holding Ltd., SRG SSR and Zurich Airport Ltd have also joined the initiative.

The joining of the five new actors and the interest of further companies and organisations show that the initiative meets the need for a structured framework and an active network for the implementation of the Energy Strategy 2050.

About the Exemplary Energy and Climate initiative

The Exemplary Energy and Climate initiative is one of twelve measures in the first package of Energy Strategy 2050. This federal initiative is aimed at companies and organisations closely linked to the federal government and the cantons from all over Switzerland who want to operate in an exemplary manner in the field of energy and climate. After increasing their energy efficiency by more than 30% on average in a first phase from 2013 to 2020, the existing actors are launching the second phase this year with an increased focus on the expansion of renewable energies (see factsheet).

The five new actors

PostBus

PostBus is the largest public transport bus company in Switzerland. It mainly offers regional passenger transport and is developing mobility services for the future. In the field of energy and climate, PostBus is working on switching to alternative forms of propulsion. PostBus is aiming to put a total of 100 battery and fuel cell buses on the road by 2024, and to operate its entire fleet of over 2,400 vehicles without fossil fuels by 2040.

PostFinance

With 2.7 million private and business customers, PostFinance is one of the leading financial institutions in Switzerland. In the field of energy and climate, PostFinance's efforts concentrate on measures to reduce CO2 emissions. It is running its data centres one hundred per cent with electricity from renewable energies. PostFinance is also working with the other divisions of Swiss Post to achieve climate neutrality for the entire group by 2040.

RUAG MRO Holding Ltd.

RUAG MRO Holding Ltd. comprises RUAG Ltd. and RUAG Real Estate Ltd. RUAG Ltd. makes a significant contribution to Switzerland's security as a forward-looking technology partner to the Swiss Armed Forces. As an overall provider, RUAG Real Estate Ltd. offers flexible space and service solutions in the field of real estate. As far as energy and climate are concerned, RUAG focuses on reducing CO2 emissions from heating systems, expanding renewable electricity and installing electric charging stations.

SRG SSR

SRG SSR is Switzerland's largest media company. In the field of energy and climate, SRG SSR primarily sets targets for increasing its use of renewable electricity and achieving a sustainable real estate infrastructure.

Zurich Airport Ltd

Zurich Airport Ltd operates Switzerland's most important transport and business hub. In the field of energy and climate, Zurich Airport Ltd is focusing on the renovation of buildings, renewable energies and the electrification of ground vehicles and machines.

Notes for media professionals

The Annual report 2019 available under Documentation at www.exemplary-energy-climate.ch includes specific examples illustrating successful measures taken by the ten actors. The Annual report 2020 will be published on 22 June 2021.

More information on the new phase of the Exemplary Energy and Climate initiative can be found in the attached factsheet.

If required, we will be happy to provide you with high-resolution footage and arrange interviews with contacts from the participating companies.

Involvement of five new actors in the Exemplary Energy and Climate initiative