UN Principles for Responsible Banking
As the first Austrian banking group, the RBI Group has become an official Signatory of the UN Principles for Responsible Banking – a single framework for a sustainable banking industry developed through an innovative partnership between banks worldwide and the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative.
What is the goal of the principles?
The Principles for Responsible Banking set out the banking industry’s role and responsibility and in aligning the banking sector with the objectives of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement.They also, importantly, enable a bank to embed sustainability across all its business areas, and to identify where it has the potential to make the most impact in its contributions to a sustainable world. They also position a bank to leverage new business opportunities with the emergence of the sustainable development economy.
RBI's take on this
We are very proud to be the first Austrian banking group to commit to the UNEP FI Principles for Responsible Banking. As a long-term member of the UNEP Finance Initiative, we see the signing of these principles as another milestone with regards to our sustainability development. Our goal is to offer sustainable financial products and services to support our clients in their transformation towards a sustainable future and therefore to make also a positive contribution to the society. This is also in line with our Vision 2025.”
UN Principles for responsible banking
RBI has joined this movement to make a positive contribution to people and the planet. We committed to aligning our business with – and achieving – ambitious targets that contribute to global and national sustainability goals. We will be held to account against them through an annual review of our individual progress.
You can find more information on UNEP FI and the Principles for Responsible Banking here:
www.unepfi.org/about
www.unepfi.org/banking/bankingprinciples
We will align our business strategy to be consistent with and contribute to individuals’ needs and society’s goals, as expressed in the Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Climate Agreement and relevant national and regional frameworks.
We will continuously increase our positive impacts while reducing the negative impacts on, and managing the risks to, people and environment resulting from our activities, products and services. To this end, we will set and publish targets where we can have the most significant impacts.
We will work responsibly with our clients and our customers to encourage sustainable practices and enable economic activities that create shared prosperity for current and future generations.
We will proactively and responsibly consult, engage and partner with relevant stakeholders to achieve society’s goals.
We will implement our commitment to these Principles through effective governance and a culture of responsible banking.
We will periodically review our individual and collective implementation of these Principles and be transparent about and accountable for our positive and negative impacts and our contribution to society’s goals.
Our Contribution
RBI has been pushing sustainability in its core business for many years:
- At around € 1.3 billion to date, RBI is the largest issuer of green bonds among Austrian banks. With her green bonds portfolio more than 60,000 metric tons CO2 per year can be saved – which corresponds to the greenhouse gas emissions from the energy supply of 7,000 households tight.
- The volume of sustainable investments at Raiffeisen Capital Management is € 9.4 billion, accounting for 24 percent of the total volume.
- Raiffeisen Centrobank has sustainability-oriented certificates with an outstanding volume of almost € 748 million, corresponding to around 18 percent of the total volume of all RCB certificates.
- Kathrein Privatbank already manages around 46 percent of its total fund volume in accordance with sustainability criteria.
- Nearly 100 percent of the Valida staff provision fund’s assets are invested in accordance with sustainable criteria.