A sustainable future – in daily work today

What does it mean to be an effective business in a constantly changing world?

Keep the balance between high profitability and social actions for a better future? Laurent Dupuch, Chairman of the Management Board of UKRSIBBANK BNP Paribas Group, told about this to Novoye Vremya magazine.

Definitely, to work well right here and now is not enough: constantly looking beyond the global horizon and thinking 20-30 years ahead is our the new norm. But even now, such a strategy is paying dividends. According to our survey, 81% of responders say that the knowledge of a company’s engagement in sustainable development may affect their decision on buying a company’s product. And 60% prefer products from companies that care about the environment.

Environmental friendliness is included in the TOP-5 brand values that are important for Ukrainians along with fair prices and product quality. Global problems no longer seem distant: climate change affects every country, for Ukraine, it is extra heat in summer and droughts. 86% of respondents realize that their life habits have an effect on the planet, and 73% think that every person in the world should pay attention to solving environmental problems. But are we ready to act in favor of the environment? The research says — definitely yes: 93% of responders are even ready to change their habits for this.

The primary goal of business is to take into account the sustainable development trends in their activities as well as to engage their customers in creating a sustainable future by providing them solutions to facilitate their daily responsible habits.

For this, UKRSIBBANK BNP Paribas Group is making a number of initiatives, including the launch of responsible consumer loans, investments in energy efficiency projects, and the implementation of programs to reduce harmful emissions of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. And recently UKRSIBBANK BNP Paribas Group has joined the Priceless Planet Coalition the global Mastercard initiative as the exclusive partner in Ukraine. The main goal of this coalition is to plant 100 million trees by 2025 to fight climate change. Just to the end of this year, together with our customers, we will restore 75,000 trees in critical forests for our planet.

Being a part of global events, looking at your actions from a global perspective for decades is not an easy daily task. But what will future generations tell us if we don’t do it today? The article was published in special issue of the magazine “Novoe Vremia” (New Time) World in 2021 under the exclusive license of The Economist, April 2021.