René Estermann

He was a student of agricultural economics at ETH Zurich when René Estermann founded his first company in the waste and disposal sector, which he managed for more than 15 years. He went on to become CEO of myclimate, developing and leading the foundation as well as numerous subsidiaries, and worked in local and global climate protection for over 12 years. A brief stint at South Pole – the founders of myclimate – was followed by a move into public administration at the City of Zurich, where he has served as Director of the Environmental and Health Protection Service (UGZ) since August 2020. In this role, he manages the department of 180 people. 

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As Director of the City of Zurich’s Office for Environmental and Health Protection (UGZ), René Estermann is committed to ensuring a high quality of life, health and the environment in Switzerland’s largest city. In this interview, he outlines his department’s areas of responsibility, reports on the new normal at UGZ and explains what lessons he draws from coronavirus for any future crises. 

Where do you, as UGZ, contribute to more sustainability in Zurich?

We take great responsibility in creating the general conditions and enforcing them. That’s partly through the tools available to us as a public authority, such as legal regulations or economic incentive systems. We also provide communication, information and advice to our stakeholders. We show the public, companies and also our own official bodies what they can do to make a difference – and we support them in making the right decisions in terms of environmental sustainability. In recent years, sustainability has evolved from a niche topic to a mainstream trend. I can’t even imagine it not being on company agendas or the general public’s radar. The fact that it is enables us in the administration to set the big levers in motion.

Could you explain the focus of UGZ’s work in a little more detail?    

Our main issues include climate protection, noise protection, the circular economy and enforcement tasks. Noise protection relates to things like traffic noise and everyday noise. This is a very big issue. Almost a third of those living in the city of Zurich suffer from excessive noise pollution levels. For these individuals, improvement efforts need to target the source of the noise, i.e., road traffic. With regard to the circular economy, we are currently developing a strategy for the most efficient use of scarce resources. And in the area of enforcement, we deal with tasks that affect us on a daily basis – everything to do with construction, for example. There has been a massive increase in construction activity recently. This also means that we’re examining more building applications from the perspective of energy efficiency or health protection. Having already reached a record level in Zurich in 2020, activity has increased by another 20 percent this year. You can really see the influence of the coronavirus situation, alongside favorable interest rates and the attractiveness of our city as a location.

Where else have you felt the Covid effect?

We proved our agility in the face of changing needs by closing the ZüriWCs and installing mobile toilet facilities – known as “Kompotoi” – in their place. The Pest Advisory Service, one of UGZ’s specialist departments, also noticed a Covid effect: in 2020, there were practically no tiger mosquitoes in Zurich. Normally, it’s coach passengers traveling up from southern countries that bring these little critters into the city. Because coach services were canceled due to Covid, the tiger mosquitoes also stayed away last year. And of course, reduced traffic flow meant a much lower impact from traffic noise, especially during lockdown. In turn, harmful emissions also decreased during coronavirus. Everyday noise, however, increased during the crisis. 

What changes did the Covid crisis trigger within your organization and in society as a whole?

Covid has accelerated digitalization within the City administration. Everyone in our service department now has a laptop whereas before we still had fixed workstations. We’ve also procured the software needed for remote and digital working. In addition, the crisis has intensified the pressure on public space. The relevance of quality of life has increased, as have expectations around living space, as people spend more time at home in the city. It’s not just demands that have grown though; people are more aware of our concerns, things like noise and climate protection, and this gives us an incentive to realize our goals as quickly as possible. We’re feeling pressure not only from the public, but also from elsewhere. I’m thinking, for example, of those in the restaurant business, who since Covid have had permission to occupy significantly more space in the public realm under exceptions granted by the City. This is also helping to reinvigorate Zurich. Discussions are currently under way about the extent to which cafés and restaurants will be able to use these additional spaces in future.

Another positive effect of the coronavirus crisis for UGZ, and for society overall, is knowing now that we can manage crises with the appropriate measures. Awareness for adaptability has also grown. People like to think that change is slow. But Covid has shown that crises bring about far-reaching changes quickly. Incidentally, I firmly believe that we could also act much more quickly than we think on the climate issue. 

Do you think that working digitally will be the “new normal” for your office?

Definitely. Working from home has also become very widespread here. Even in the current normalization phase, there are still significantly fewer people working in the office than before the crisis, and that’s set to continue in the future. Personally, I’ve come to really appreciate working from home. In the “new normal” I can hold lots of meetings digitally rather than rushing across town like I used to. It enables me to work much more efficiently, save time and reduce stress. There’s still a need to get together in real life sometimes, of course, and that’s a good thing. The trick is to find a good middle ground, a hybrid way of working, so to speak. One positive effect of this trend is that we have less work-related mobility and are therefore reducing our ecological footprint. Longer term, I can well imagine reducing the amount of office space needed, which would free up space for other uses currently in short supply in Zurich, such as shops or apartments.

What conclusions do you draw from the Covid crisis and how do you think a future crisis situation could be better managed?

I would hope for even more decisiveness and courage. In these challenging times, we have learned that crises must be managed top-down, not bottom-up. Decision-making pathways need to be shortened, and responsibility can – and should – be assumed or delegated in such exceptional situations. In the event of a future crisis, I hope that decision-makers have learned how important it is to take on a leadership role. And on the other hand, I would like to see the Swiss population place their trust generously in their leaders when it comes to issues of this magnitude. Moreover, Covid has shown society, and especially public offices like ours, the importance of having reserves and a forward-looking approach. This is reflected in examples at both the city and federal levels. Fortunately, when the federal government had to fund measures for those in financial difficulty, money wasn’t at its limit and there was capacity to do so. It is of tremendous importance that we manage our budgets carefully, and that’s true of both finances and greenhouse gas emissions. It’s how we position ourselves to be solvent and resilient, for example, when the next crisis occurs. If we act with this in mind to protect the environment and health in the city of Zurich, and society adopts an equally sustainable mindset, then we’ll also survive the next crisis better. And the next generation will thank us.