With the help of beekeeping experts, we maintain small „Apiaries under the stars” at three locations that have been identified as potentially “bee-lacking”. At the two locations in Warsaw (on the terraces of buildings at 2 Kasprzaka Street and 31 Wronia Street), there are a total of seven hives. An apiary which consists of several hives is located in Ruda Śląska. Since 2021, some bee families have been living in an apiinhalation house, where employees can inhale „beehive air.”
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As a responsible financial institution, the Bank advocates for climate justice and environmental protection. The Bank’s experts share their knowledge at conferences and industry events and promote a sustainable approach to investment financing.
The financial sector plays a significant part in transitioning to a low-carbon economy – i.a., by financing new investments and limiting involvement in high emission sectors. Therefore, the BNP Paribas Group joined the Net-zero Banking Alliance. The aim of the initiative, under the aegis of the UNEP Finance Initiative, is to reduce the level of greenhouse gas emissions stemming from lending and investment activities to levels that will ensure climate neutrality by 2050. One of the steps taken by the Bank is to terminate cooperation with Customers connected to coal mining and coal-based electricity production in the EU and OECD countries by 2030.
The following paragraphs describe the key environmental partnerships and initiatives implemented by the Bank in 2021.
Chapter Zero Poland, a part of the Climate Governance Initiative, is a programme for developing supervisory and management bodies’ competencies. It was created by the World Economic Forum. The Polish edition aims to raise awareness about the impact of climate change on companies and the influence of business on climate. Chapter Zero Poland was launched in May 2021 by the Responsible Business Forum in partnership with Deloitte Poland. The Bank joined the initiative as a guardian. Since December 2021, UNEP/GRID Warsaw has been an expert partner, while the media partner of Chapter Zero Poland is the “Rzeczpospolita” daily newspaper.
A programme council was established to develop the initiative, chaired by Lucyna Stańczak-Wuczyńska –chairman of the Bank’s Supervisory Board. A steering committee was also established. One of its members is Jarosław Rot, Chief Sustanability Officer.
The Bank is a partner of UN Global Compact Network Poland. As part of the partnership, it has joined the Climate Positive programme. The programme supports UN Global Compact actions, which promote green attitudes. The Chairman of the Bank, Przemysław Gdański, is a member of the UNGC Programme Council. He also participates in the annual Yearbook publication presenting the Bank’s activities and urging consumers, companies, and institutions to become involved in initiatives focused on the 13th Sustainable Development Goal – Climate Action.
As part of the Together for the Environment partnership, the UNEP/GRID Warsaw Center supports the Bank’s environmental initiatives. The Center and the Bank implement the Sustainable Development Goals and actively support the Green Ribbon #ForThePlanet campaign. Its central theme for 2021 was the protection of biodiversity.
The Bank also participated in another edition of the Climate Leadership programme. Experts developed plans to counteract the deepening climate crisis.
The Bank was a strategic partner in the 8th edition of the Eco-City project, organised by the French Embassy in Poland, UNEP/GRID Warsaw, and the „Teraz Środowisko” („Environment Now”) daily. The initiative aims to exchange experiences between cities and promote the best solutions. In 2021, the initiative focused on Green Reconstruction. The project promotes energy efficiency in multi-family residential buildings, popularises the best environmental practices and supports sustainable cities and communities. In November 2021, together with the Poznań City Hall, we conducted a workshop entitled “Thermo-modernisation in the European Wave of Renovation”.
In 2020, BNP Paribas Bank Polska joined the Cool Farm Alliance (CFA), an international industry consortium bringing together entities working toward sustainable agriculture. Our bank is the first financial institution to have joined the group of 60 companies within CFA. Thanks to our membership in CFA, since 2021, the Bank’s Food & Agro sector Customers can use the innovative Cool Farm Tool via our portal, Agronomist.pl. This online calculator can be utilised to calculate greenhouse gas emissions related to agricultural production. It can also assess the biodiversity of farms and irrigation requirements for crops.
Partnerships continued in 2021
Since 2020, we have been a member of the Coalition for the Development of the Bio Food Market. It supports the organic food industry i.a. by raising consumer awareness. Our involvement in this initiative as a leader of agro financing will enable us to help farmers and thus develop the entire market. In 2019, the Bank also joined the Partnership for Climate in Warsaw. Przemysław Gdański, the President of the Bank, was the first Polish CEO to support the CEO Call to Action initiative for climate justice, established in May 2019 during the SDG Summit in Brussels.
We are also a partner of organisations and initiatives that support environmental protection and counteract climate change. Since 2017, we have supported the Polish Association of Sustainable Agriculture (ASAP).
Apiaries under the stars
More information about the Bank’s partnerships can be found at: https://www.bnpparibas.pl/csr/partnerstwa