Environmental protection
At ProCredit Bank, responsibility means providing high quality services and, above all, thorough credit analysis. But responsibility does not stop there. We believe that responsibility extends to our mutual surroundings, which should be preserved for generations to come.
As groups of individuals, and as institutions, all banks that belong to the PrоCrеdit group apply high standards with respect to the impact of their business on the environment. Adherence to these standards starts with internal education and informing staff, and it is continued through all bank activities.
The principles of environmental protection implemented by ProCredit Bank every day can be viewed in the Environmental Policy
ProCredit banks take a three-pronged approach to the numerous challenges in the field of environmental protection:
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Pillar 1: Internal Environmental Management System
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The internal environmental management system is concerned with the monitoring of energy consumption and the consumption of other resources within the bank and its planned and systematic reduction, as well as increasing awareness among employees and collaboration with green suppliers.
In order for the bank to reduce its negative impact on the environment, it has included various technical measures in its Annual Environmental Plan (e.g. replacing existing lighting, investing in improved insulation, improving waste management, introduction of sustainable materials).
Environmental issues are an essential component of the training provided to ProCredit Bank staff at the local, regional and international levels. In addition, there have been special green initiatives to raise environmental awareness among staff, such as a series of educational articles on our internal web portal.
Bearing in mind the adverse impact of motorised vehicles on the environment, the bank has provided bicycles for employee use. For greater distances, employees have at their disposal a fleet of Toyota Prius hybrids. In addition, in 2016, ProCredit Bank was the first to add a fleet of 7 all-electric cars, the Volkswagen E-Up.
We have installed a network of 15 chargers for electric cars in 8 cities in Serbia. Charging is provided to all citizens and completely free of charge, anytime 24 hours a day.
Also, we eliminated the use of disposable plastic products from our premises and gradually started introducing items made of alternative materials, wherever possible.
We are especially proud of the fact that we are the first big buyer of "green electricity" in Serbia. Thanks to the contract we signed with Elektroprivreda Srbije in 2019, we became the first domestic company to receive a guarantee of EPS origin that the electricity we consume is produced exclusively from renewable energy sources.
ProCredit Bank has designated an Environmental Unit responsible for monitoring our energy efficiency performance and environmental performance, and for coordinating our efforts to improve them.
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Pillar 2: Management of Environmental Risk in Lending
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ProCredit Bank Serbia has implemented an environmental management system based on continuous assessment of the loan portfolio according to environmental criteria and the social responsibility of its clients.
This includes an in-depth analysis of all economic activities which may potentially involve environmental risks and potential risks to the community, and the rejection of loan applications from enterprises engaged in activities which are deemed environmentally hazardous and appear on our institution’s exclusion list.
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Pillar 3: Promoting Green Finance
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After a decade of promoting investments in green finance, we have broadened our programme of green finance products consisting of loans for energy efficiency, renewable resources and other environmental protection measures for businesses, agricultural holdings and private individuals.
ProCredit Bank’s Environmental Protection Policy is in compliance with the ISO 14001:2015 standard.
Ref. no. 30550975