FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX) - Greenpeace has again used the "greenwashing" allegations against Deutsche Bank's fund subsidiary DWS as an opportunity for a protest action. Early Wednesday morning, activists from the environmental organization climbed onto the canopy of Deutsche Bank's twin towers in downtown Frankfurt, within sight of DWS headquarters. According to a Greenpeace spokesman, eleven activists were on the canopy in the morning. There, they unfurled a banner of about 100 square meters with the inscription "DWS verpflichten, Klima schützen!" (Obligate DWS, protect the climate!).

According to Greenpeace, the occasion for the action was DWS's annual general meeting this Thursday (June 15). "Greenwashing is structurally anchored at DWS. As majority shareholder, Deutsche Bank has a duty to put an end to DWS's climate-damaging business practices," Greenpeace financial expert Mauricio Vargas demanded in the statement. Protest actions by Greenpeace against DWS had also taken place in March this year and in October 2022.

The asset manager DWS is accused of selling so-called green financial products as "greener" than they actually are - "greenwashing" in other words. The investigation was initiated by the former DWS sustainability officer Desiree Fixler, who publicly criticized her former employer. At the beginning of last year, the Frankfurt public prosecutor's office had started investigations against employees and responsible persons of DWS on suspicion of capital investment fraud.

DWS had always denied the "greenwashing" allegations. In June last year, however, the boss was replaced: Asoka Wohrmann was replaced by Stefan Hoops from Deutsche Bank.

In the text of his speech at this year's DWS Annual General Meeting, which was published in advance, Hoops said of the "greenwashing" allegations: "DWS has been cooperating actively, openly and transparently with the authorities since the investigations began. The clarification of the allegations and the conclusion of the external investigations remain a top priority for the management."/ben/fm/DP/jha