Sustainable Operations

PNC is committed to continually setting and achieving ambitious carbon emissions, energy use, water use and renewable electricity goals, related to our own operational footprint.

2030 Operational Targets

With PNC’s recent integration of BBVA USA's footprint, our operational footprint grew by over 20 percent. As a result, we have re-evaluated our operational targets, committing to further reduce our own Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions, energy, and water consumption. These new targets use a base year of 2022 – the first full year of combined PNC and BBVA USA operations.

80% Carbon Emissions Reduction (Scopes 1 & 2) by 2030

To achieve this goal, PNC will: 

  • Reduce energy and carbon emissions through energy efficiency projects, real estate optimization and electrification, without reliance on the purchase of offsets
  • Execute renewable energy power purchase agreements, install onsite solar and buy certified renewable energy credits. We remain on track to meet our goal of 100 percent purchased renewable electricity by 2025.

30% Water Reduction by 2030

To achieve this goal, PNC will: 

  • Reduce or eliminate the need for irrigation across our physical footprint 
  • Performing irrigation upgrades to existing systems
  • Implement water efficiency projects in our major office building
  • Perform advanced data analysis and water leak detection 

30% Energy Reduction by 2030

To achieve this goal, PNC will: 

  • Pursue lighting retrofit projects
  • Upgrade heating and cooling systems
  • Refine and optimize our real estate strategy
  • Execute sustainable renovations and intelligent building projects

Renewable Energy

In 2019, PNC became a member of the global renewable energy initiative RE100, committing to source 100 percent renewable purchased electricity by 2025.

Our strategy to achieve our 100 percent target is focused on the following actions:

  • Execute long-term renewable energy purchase agreements
  • Install on-site renewable energy
  • Purchase renewable energy credits

Innovation & Building Optimization

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The Tower at PNC Plaza in Pittsburgh set a new standard for sustainable skyscrapers, devising an innovative, low-energy strategy to heat and cool the building

Intelligent Buildings Project

Utilizing an intelligent building software platform, we’re rapidly improving efficiency, saving energy and enhancing building performance at our PNC facilities.

Our intelligent building project is a key component of our sustainable operations initiative, applying advanced real-time energy analytics to identify cost-saving opportunities and support capital investments towards more efficiently using resources within our buildings.

With the integration of BBVA USA, this platform is helping us identify and upgrade high energy- and water-consuming buildings and put in place energy and water saving strategies. For instance, we upgraded lighting and irrigation systems at some of our sites to better manage electricity and water use.


Indoor Air Quality

Our buildings are thoughtfully designed to reduce negative environmental impacts as well as help employees and customers thrive by providing healthy and safe physical office spaces. They are maintained, cleaned and operated to meet industry-leading standards. 

Just as important as saving energy and water in our buildings, the purification of the air in our PNC-owned buildings is a focus for us. Our employees and customers spend time inside these buildings. In order to provide them with excellent indoor air quality, we’ve established a best-in-class program to improve the efficiency of the HVAC systems in our buildings while reducing energy use and environmental impacts. All new HVAC equipment meets and often exceeds recommended efficiency standards.


Green Building Certifications

PNC has prioritized the environmental performance of our buildings.

Top-performing buildings are recognized through the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) and ENERGY STAR® certification programs. PNC pursues LEED certifications in its new ground-up construction projects and major renovation projects.

Additional Reports & Documents

Find out how we are making progress against our targets and these energy-efficient initiatives.