UKRSIBBANK BNP Paribas Group joined the Mastercard Priceless Planet Coalition, global initiative to plant 100 million trees
- 93% of Ukrainians are willing to change their habits to support the environment
- 83% of Ukrainians believe that the fight against global warming on Earth is the most important initiative and contribution to a better future of humanity.
- UKRSIBBANK BNP Paribas Group will support planting of 75,000 trees in the world’s vital forests to combat climate change.
Kyiv, April 22, 2021 – According to 70% of Ukrainians, global warming has been more acute for the past five years, 83% agree that the fight against climate change is the most important task of humanity, with 77% being aware of its impact on the life and health of every person on the planet. These are the results of Mastercard and UKRSIBBANK BNP Paribas Group1 study, conducted in April 2021 in Ukraine.
To prevent the negative effects of global warming, Mastercard has founded The Priceless Planet Coalition, a global initiative that aims at restoring 100 million trees worldwide in five years to reduce СО2 levels. Today, on the Earth Day Eve, UKRSIBBANK BNP Paribas Group has joined this initiative and will exclusively represent Ukraine in the project.
The bank’s customers will be able to make a personal contribution to reforestation and prevent global warming by paying with a Mastercard card from UKRSIBBANK. For such cashless payments with Mastercard, the bank will allocate additional funds for planting 75 thousand trees in the Earth’s vital forests, including those in Australia, Kenya and Brazil. As part of the initiative, the user will not be charged any additional fees. The regions for restoration within the Priceless Planet Coalition were selected by Conservation International’s climate and reforestation experts and the World Resources Institute based on an advanced scientific approach to combating global warming.
“As a part of BNP Paribas Group, UKRSIBBANK is focused on the positive impact on society and environment, and climate change issues as well. We invest in our energy efficiency and support initiatives to protect and restore the ecosystem of our planet. First of all, we are dedicated to supporting actions that address climate change challenges through our daily banking operations. So, we are delighted to engage our customers to positive initiative of Priceless Planet Coalition, and as a result to plant 75 K trees in our planet’s vital areas. According to our research, 69% of Ukrainians say they will be more concerned about the environment in 2021 than before. And we propose solution to do it in a simple way via daily NFC contactless payments for goods and services by Mastercard from UKRSIBBANK. It is our common positive influence on the environment and contribution for a better future”, – said Laurent Dupuch, Chairman of the Management Board at UKRSIBBANK BNP Paribas Group.
According to a survey by Mastercard and UKRSIBBANK , 94% of respondents believe that Ukrainians pay little attention to environmental issues. At the same time, 86% of respondents are aware that their activities affect the overall condition of the planet, with the majority of them (93%) willing to change their habits to support the environment. In particular, 59% are ready to dispose of household waste, every second – to plant trees, 48% agree to make better and wiser use of electricity, and more than a third of Ukrainians (36%) are ready to support social initiatives aimed at increasing the forest area. Finally, 8 out of 10 Ukrainians would do it for the whole planet and future generations.
“Protecting the environment and restoring natural resources is becoming even more important, and its solution requires the maximum engagement of everybody: the state, business and each individual. Our study shows that Ukrainians are worried about the future of the planet and ready to engage: 83% of Ukrainians agree that preventing climate change on Earth is the most important initiative and contribution to a better future of humanity, and 73% believe that every person should pay attention to environmental issues. As part of The Priceless Planet Coalition, Mastercard brings together the efforts of companies around the world to address global challenges and also offers the opportunity for cardholders to actively support the initiative; and we are glad that together with UKRSIBBANK we are starting such an important project in Ukraine” said Inga Andreieva, Mastercard General Manager in Ukraine and Moldova.
Ukrainians also believe that the deforestation of the world’s forests is one of the main factors accelerating the process of global warming. Ukrainians believe that possible solutions to this problem include increasing the forest area (63%), reducing CO2 emissions by enterprises (60%), and transition to renewable energy sources such as water, sun or wind (55%). At the same time, Ukrainian users, but in general (60%), and especially younger generation, pay attention to the social activity of companies. Thus, 66% of respondents aged 18 to 24 prefer to buy products from companies that care about the environment.
Ukrainians’ interest in solving environmental problems is in line with the European trend. For example, Mastercard survey in 14 European countries found that 52% of Europeans are concerned about how their actions affect the environment, and 8 out of 10 stated that they are ready to personally help solve the environmental problems and sustainable development in 2021.
The Priceless Planet Coalition is a global initiative by Mastercard that brings together consumers, financial institutions, merchants and cities to fight climate change.
50+ companies
1 – Gradus Research study commissioned by Mastercard and UKRSIBBANK BNP Paribas Group. Survey of 1000 Ukrainians aged 18 to 60 years. April, 2021.