News

This review is made by the CSR department on a regular base en distributed to the colleagues who are interested. The review is an overview of the latest developments within CSR, internal at the bank or external on a larger scale. Some of the topics discussed in this review : Social Inclusion, Community Involvement, Climate Change, Environment, Energy, Biodiversity, Water, Greening IT, Mobility, Sustainable Building Practices, CSR Communication and Reporting, Human Rights, Microfinance,... CSR Review February.

• Ath
• Gent

The Fortis Investments fund dedicated to green energy infrastructures has attracted a total of EUR 158 million from a number of institutional investors.

This success bears witness to the increased interest in strategies linked to environmentally friendly infrastructures. The fund has received a decisive and significant commitment from PGGM, acting on behalf of the Pensioenfonds Zorg en Welzijn (PFZW), and an investment from the Pensioenfonds Grafische Bedrijven in the Netherlands, as well as from investors in Japan and Belgium. With an investment totalling EUR 50 million, BNP Paribas Fortis is the fund’s founding investor.

The fund was launched in September 2008 and targets tried and tested technologies in the field of green energy, including on-shore wind farms, small-scale hydroelectricity, photovoltaic panels and biomass. It ranks among the leading vehicles for investment in infrastructures that focus on renewable energy in Europe.

The conference on Microfinance, organized by CSR for BNP Paribas Fortis employees, was a big success. Unfortunately there was not enough place for everybody. Not only specialists from BNP Paribas, but also experts spoke about their experiences. More information can be found here .

Visit the new SRI blog www.sriblog.fortisinvestments.com , this blog was created by Fortis Investments to share insights of ongoing research into the link between sustainability and finance. You will also find more information about the "Green New Deal."

BNP Paribas Fortis’ offices in Belgium are now cleaned with eco-friendly products. The products used are made of natural plant and mineral ingredients, they are phosphate- and chlorine-free and are purchased in recyclable polyethylene bottles.

In our new I-Green campaign all Belgian BNP Paribas Fortis Employees work together on rational energy consumption and sustainable mobility. We participate in the Bike To Work programme to promote cycling to work in an active and challenging way. It is not a short term action to get people on a bicycle, but a long-term programme to get more people using their bikes more often.In our major Corporate Buildings our paper challenge pilot of 2008 during which paper consumption was monitored and communicated individually will be rolled out.

We launched a voluntary “Ecochallenge” pilot for our branches in the East-Flanders region of Belgium. The aim is to improve the environmental performance of each branch, such as less energy and water consumption, less waste and paper and more sustainable mobility. In each participating branch an employee was trained to Ecocoach who implements the pilot within his/her branch. Several tools were developed such as an interactive Ecosurvey and toolboxes to assist the Ecocoaches. One of the participating branches will be selected as Eco-Branch 2009 in October.

BNP Paribas Fortis recognised the United Nations World Environment Day on 5 June 2008 with various actions in several countries. Company-wide actions included web conferencing demonstrations and a WED photo contest.
In Belgium, demonstrations were given of web, video, and audio conferencing. Employees also experienced eco-driving through simulators.
In Luxembourg, employees were encouraged to use the stairs instead of the lifts. IT provided information on energy-saving technical projects such as virtual servers and on how to reduce the energy use of IT centres. HR re-launched the 'ride to work on your bike' contest and presented the results of an internal survey of the leased car fleet. Staff were informed about different measures for energy saving and some lighting was reduced without any perceived loss of comfort.
In Singapore, BNP Paribas Fortis is sponsoring the first eco-friendly city concept car. BNP Paribas Fortis employees had a preview of the eco-friendly car in June when it was displayed in the lobby of BNP Paribas Fortis’s Singapore office for a week in connection with the activities to mark World Environment Day. An inter-floor paper usage competition was also organised to promote efficient use of paper at the office.
In Turkey, employees raised funds to build a memorial forest in Usak.
In France, sessions, training courses and a quiz were organised based on various themes (eco-attitudes, recycling, energy saving, etc.).
In Belgium, Singapore and Turkey, a low carbon menu was served: employees were offered more seasonal vegetables, regional products and vegetarian dishes, and informed of the food’s carbon footprint.