ProCredit Bank has certified its Environmental Management System

ProCredit Bank has successfully completed the certification process for its eco-management system and has received the certificate of compliance with the ISO 14001:2015 standard. The certification was carried out by TÜV Thüringen e.V. (Germany)/ The certificate covers all ProCredit Bank branches and Head office and is valid until March 2020. During these three years, TÜV Thüringen e.V. will carry out an annual supervisory audit to confirm the current compliance of the eco-management system with the standard.

The environmental management system allows ProCredit Bank to manage its environmental impact. Its direct impact is limited to the consumption of energy, fuel, paper and water, as well as waste generation. Since the introduction of the environmental management system in 2012, the bank has reduced its annual consumption of:

energy by 42%, or in absolute terms 2.4 million kWh; this is equivalent to the annual energy expenditure of 178 households paper by 81%, or in absolute terms 38.5 tons; this is equivalent to preserving 924 trees water by 55%, or in absolute terms 4.1 thousand m3; this is equivalent to the volume of water required to fill one and a half Olympic swimming pools Through financing clients, the bank has an indirect but potentially more significant impact on the environment. Therefore, ProCredit Bank carefully checks how potential borrowers manage the environmental and social risks of their activities, and only finances companies which manage these risks at the proper level. In addition, the bank finances “green investments” – investments in energy efficiency, renewable energy and environmentally friendly projects.

Since 2012 the bank has issued 2,838 green loans. As of 31 May 2017, the green portfolio of the bank stood at 36.2 million euros; it’s 12% of the total loan portfolio of the bank.

“In matters of environmental impact the management of ProCredit Bank relies on the experience of German shareholders and the international experience of the ProCredit group. Environmental responsibility is a modern trend which different banks somehow integrate into their activities. The distinction of ProCredit Bank is that we do not only systematically reduce our environmental impact, but we are also the first bank in Ukraine to certify our eco-management system in accordance with the ISO 14001:2015 standard In cooperation with a German company TÜV Thüringen e.V. Now the clients of the bank, its shareholders, employees, suppliers and society as a whole can be assured of the environmental friendliness of ProCredit Bank not through its own words, but on the basis of certification by an external independent body. The most important element in implementing the measures to reduce our impact on the environment is the awareness and involvement of all bank employees. It is environmentally responsible behaviour in the workplace that best demonstrates the systematic approach of ProCredit Bank,” commented Viktor Ponomarenko, Chairman of the Board of ProCredit Bank.