Since January 2019, the Archdiocese of Cologne has been relying on green electricity certified by NATURSTROM AG. The total of 39 institutions of the archdiocese supplied by the eco-energy provider include schools and administrative buildings on the left and right of the Rhine between Bonn, Düsseldorf and Wuppertal, as well as Kolumba, Cologne's second oldest museum. In total, the 2019 supply comprises around 10.5 million kilowatt hours of green electricity.

Compared to the German electricity mix, the Archdiocese of Cologne saves around 5,000 tons of CO2 annually. The archdiocese has been purchasing green electricity since 2015. By switching to electricity from Austrian and German hydropower, which is also certified with the Grüner Strom-Label, it is now achieving its sustainability aspirations.

With the decision for high-quality green electricity, additional plants for renewable electricity will be built. This will make it possible for many other households to obtain electricity that is in line with creation, according to Tobias Welz, Environmental Officer at the Archdiocese of Cologne. For each kilowatt hour of green electricity consumed, a fixed subsidy amount is invested in new energy transition projects, such as wind or solar plants, but also e-mobility or educational initiatives. In this way, the Grüner Strom-Label has already enabled more than 1,300 projects to be implemented with over 55 million euros in funding.