Prevention of Climate Change
Prevention of Climate Change UKRSIBBANK's main partner – BNP Paribas, a leader in sustainable finance in Europe, shares the goals of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. Therefore, our bank, as part of the global group, also supports transition economies and partners who strive to reduce the carbon footprint, as well as restore the ecosystem of our planet.
What Do We Do to Restore the Ecosystem?
To this end, we invest in our own energy efficiency, as well as encourage our partners to go green, provide them with convenient solutions and support those who share our goal of a positive impact on the environment. Moreover, we provide a convenient solution for our customers to make daily sustainability a habit, help them participate in creating a global sustainable future.
Priceless Planet Coalition
In the opinion of 70% of Ukrainians, the problem of global warming has become even more urgent over the past five years, and 83% agree that the fight against climate change is the most important task of humanity. At the same time, 77% confirm that climate change today has a direct impact on the life and health of every inhabitant of the planet. These are the results of a Mastercard and UKRSIBBANK BNP Paribas Group study conducted in April 2021 in Ukraine.
To prevent the negative consequences of global warming, Mastercard founded the Priceless Planet Coalition, a global initiative whose main goal is to restore 100 million trees in the world in five years to reduce CO2 levels. In 2021, UKRSIBBANK became the general partner of Priceless Planet Coalition in Ukraine.
The bank’s customers personally contributed to reforestation and prevention of global warming by making contactless NFC payments with their Mastercard from UKRSIBBANK. From such cashless payments with Mastercard, UKRSIBBANK additionally allocated funds for planting 75,000 trees in the forests of Australia, Kenya and Brazil, which are important for the planet. At the same time, the customers were charged no additional fees in connection with the initiative. The regions for restoration were selected by experts in climatology and forest restoration of Conservation International and the World Resources Institute based on the best scientific approach to combating global warming.
According to our research, 69% of Ukrainians said that they will take care about the environment more often than before. And we offered a simple solution – through daily contactless NFC payments for goods and services with Mastercard cards from UKRSIBBANK. This is our joint positive impact on the environment and contribution to a better future.
Green Policy
The Green Company for Employees program has been created to accelerate the reduction of the direct impact of the BNP Paribas Group, which includes UKRSIBBANK, on the environment. The ambition of UKRSIBBANK as part of BNP Paribas is to be a leader in sustainable financing. With the Green Policy, the bank aligns its actions as a participant in the banking sector and as an employer.
In 2020, the bank invited all employees to sign the CSR manifesto – the Green Policy and become ambassadors of an ecological lifestyle. The bank organized the sorting, collection and transfer of recycled waste paper and plastic for recycling in its offices.
Also in 2020, UKRSIBBANK abandoned single-use products. This also covers public catering in the bank, logistical support of the office, the policy of gifts and promotional products, the rejection of printed promos and advertising products – and at the same time the transition to a digital format of communication with clients and partners.
We thank the entire team of the bank for sharing values and striving to become an even more responsible company that successfully implements environmental protection projects for a better future.
Preserving the Diversity of Our Planet
The BNP Paribas group, of which UKRSIBBANK is a part, has terminated all cooperation with companies that pollute the environment: coal, gas, shale, exploration projects in the Arctic, etc. Thus, since 2017, BNP Paribas has not financed any new coal-fired power plant projects and does not advise on the purchase or sale of such assets in any country in the world. In 2019, the bank adopted deadlines after which the Group’s electricity-generating customers will no longer be able to use coal: 2030 for the European Union and 2040 for the rest of the countries.
UKRSIBBANK also fully follows this goal and strives to create a green office, planting trees throughout Ukraine every year, encouraging employees to live a green lifestyle, and helping clients become energy self-sufficient.
IQ energy
As a partner of the IQ Energy power saving program, UKRSIBBANK received the EBRD award for the largest number of projects implemented under the program, which allowed Ukrainians to take advantage of “warm loans” by insulating and modernizing their homes: houses and apartments. 22,000 projects – this is exactly the number we managed to implement since the start of the IQ Energy program in 2016.