ESG MANAGEMENT
Wiktoria Cieślikowska
Legal Counsel
ESG in the Bank’s strategy
BNP Paribas Bank Polska is an organisation aware of its impact on its environment and approaches the management of ESG (E-environment, S-social, G-governance) aspects in a responsible and comprehensive manner. Maintaining its position as a leader in sustainable finance is one of the Bank’s key commitments under the GObeyond strategy for 2022-2025, and the issues of changing environmental, social and corporate governance concerns are an integral part of it.
The Bank has a structure for managing ESG issues that is unique in the Polish market. Overseeing the implementation of strategic objectives from the area of sustainable development is the Executive Director of the Sustainability Area, Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO), reporting directly to the CEO.
Sustainable financing
The role of responsible financial institutions is to develop products and services with a positive impact, responding to global challenges and local market conditions, and to limit financing that is not in line with this direction. The Bank’s sustainable product offering supports environmentally and socially responsible investments or activities and contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Value of sustainable financing granted in 2022
| Value of sustainable financing by category (as at 31.12.2022) |
Value (PLN million) |
|---|---|
| Value of sustainable financing granted in 2022, including: | 6,500 |
| with a positive environmental impact | 5,816 |
| with a positive social impact | 341 |
| Sustainability Linked Loan | 343 |
| Financing with a positive environmental impact |
Value (PLN million) |
|---|---|
| renewable energy | 1,440 |
| ecological construction and thermal modernisation of buildings | 3,657 |
| improving the energy efficiency of production processes | 154 |
| green transport | 394 |
| circular economy | 24 |
| natural resources | 148 |
| Financing with a positive social impact |
Value (PLN million) |
|---|---|
| healthcare | 306 |
| education | 30 |
| basic infrastructure (e.g. water supply, sewage system) | 4 |
Responsibility towards the natural environment is one of the Bank’s commitments under the POSITIVE pillar of the GObeyond strategy. For many years, we have been involved in counteracting climate change and minimising its effects. The Bank of Green Changes programme aggregates all of the organisation’s initiatives for the natural environment.
The Bank of Green Changes programme consists of:
- constantly developing the offer of products and services that help our Customers transition to a low-carbon economy and green investments,
- qualitative changes in the functioning of the organisation (so-called eco-improvements) minimising the negative impact of operations on the natural environment,
- educational activities addressed to employees of all Bank areas and external stakeholders and establishing partnerships as well as supporting pro-environmental initiatives.
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Hybrid and electric cars in the fleet
-
376
2021
-
606
2022
-
-
Electricity utilised by the Bank from renewable sources
-
100 %
2021
-
100 %
2022
-
Selected environmental indicators
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | Change 2022/2021 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Environmental responsibility
|
Number of photovoltaic installations financed for individual customers (thousand) | 10 | 16 | 6 | (62.5%)1 |
| Group greenhouse gas emissions generated from operations (tons CO2e) | 9,349 | 10,792 | 11,539 | 6.9%2 | |
| Hybrid and electric cars in the fleet | 174 | 376 | 606 | 61.2% | |
| Electricity utilised by the Bank from renewable sources | 100% | 100% | 100% | – | |
- A decrease is due to an apparent lower propensity to take out loans for PV installations with the change in billing rules introduced on 1.04.2022.
- An increase in the Group’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2022 results from an increase in business travel and the need for increased gas use at the subsidiary Campus Leszno (accommodation of refugees from Ukraine). A relevant explanation can be found in the chapter “Reducing the carbon footprint”.
At the Bank, we actively contribute to society – our employees, customers and local communities. We are committed to ensuring that all employees feel valued and have the same opportunity for personal development. Communication with our employees is based on honesty, respect and acting in accordance with ethical standards. It is also about promoting and reinforcing the values we live by every day.
In addition, we constantly strive to make our products and services more accessible to vulnerable groups. We are open to the needs of our Clients. We promote philanthropic projects for social equality. We take initiatives for the benefit of local communities. We develop our initiatives above all where we can make a real contribution to positive change.
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Number of training hours – average per person employed by the Bank in a given year
-
24
2021
-
29
2022
-
-
Number of Clients’ centres with the “Barrier-free Facility” certificate
-
77
2021
-
103
2022
-
Selected social indicators
Bank data, unless otherwise indicated.
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | Change 2022/2021 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Responsibility at the workplace
|
The Bank’s headcount | 9,210 | 8,809 | 8,392 | (4.7%)3 |
| The Group’s headcount | 9,455 | 9,035 | 8,585 | (5.0%) | |
| Number of training hours – average per person employed by the Bank in a given year | 18 | 24 | 29 | 20.8% | |
| Percentage of women in managerial positions in the Bank in a given year | 62% | 56% | 53% | (5.4%)4 | |
Social responsibility
|
Number of the Bank’s volunteers involved in the Noble Gift campaign in the given year | 2,470 | 2,610 | 3,028 | 16.0% |
| Amount of donations made under the Local Grant Programme in a given year (PLN thousand) | 240 | 300 | 300 | – | |
| Total number of Local Ambassadors of the Bank operating throughout Poland | 130 | 100 | 132 | 32.0% | |
| Kilometers achieved through the Good Kilometers campaign in a given year (thousand) | 70.0 | 72.0 | 75.5 | 4.9% | |
| Total number of regular donors under the Support All Year programme | 200 | 260 | 345 | 32.7% | |
| Number of scholarship recipients of the “Class” programme in a given year | 100 | 83 | 95 | 14.5% | |
| Number of Clients’ centers with the “Barrier-free Facility” certificate | 51 | 77 | 103 | 33.8% | |
- In light of the need to adapt the Bank’s business model to the changing business environment, a collective redundancy programme for 2021-2023 was announced in December 2020 in consultation with the trade unions. In addition, in order to mitigate the social impact of the collective redundancies, the Bank agreed with the trade unions to pay additional compensation and other elements of social protection, in addition to the statutory severance payments due to the redundant employees, and launched a Voluntary Redundancy Programme. In 2022, the Collective Redundancy Programme and the Voluntary Redundancy Programme continued.
- Simplification of the structure and a new model of working in the network, as well as transition to the new Agile@Scale operating model, has resulted in a change in the proportion of women in managerial positions.
Responsible corporate governance is the foundation of all our activities. We implement the best market practices in this regard and adhere to the highest standards of ethics and responsibility. A key document from the perspective of ESG management at the Bank is the BNP Paribas Code of Conduct. The Bank is also one of the initiators of The Declaration of Responsible Selling, which aims to raise and disseminate ethical standards in customer relations, educate business and consumers, increase trust in the financial industry and counteract unfair practices.
As a responsible financial institution, the Bank monitors the level of ESG risks of all its business customers. We also pay particular attention to the financing of sectors considered sensitive in terms of ESG risks.
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Value of sustainable financing (PLN billion)
-
3.1
2021
-
6.5
2022
-
-
Number of CSR Analyses carried out during the year
-
174
2021
-
207
2022
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Selected economic indicators
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | Change 2022/2021 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Economic responsibility
|
Value of sustainable financing (PLN billion) | 1.0 | 3.1 | 6.5 | 109.7% |
| Number of CSR Analyses carried out during the year | 225 | 174 | 207 | 19.0% | |
| CSR declarations signed by our new suppliers during the year | 240 | 43 | 275 | not applicable | |
| Percentage of expenditure on products and services accounted for by purchases from local suppliers in a given year | 85% | 85% | 85% | – | |
- The Bank has targeted existing suppliers with whom it already has signed CSR Declarations. The same document is not required to be signed again for each bidding process.
