Sustainable business operations

Our Manifesto expresses de Volksbank's ambitions and the role it seeks to play in the financial sector. We are banking with a human touch and are aiming for climate neutrality in the long run.

By 2020, the CO2 emissions from our business operations must have decreased by 50% compared to 2014. To measure this, we use the principles of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, an internationally recognised reporting standard. Procurement must have met 100% of the circulatory requirements.

From a conviction to use as few irreplaceable (increasingly scarce) raw materials as possible and to reduce emissions, we apply the following main principles: reduce use, extend use and reuse.

To make our operations more sustainable, we

• we take great care in procuring goods, energy and water
• make the (technical) management of our office buildings more sustainable
• reduce and separate waste material as much as possible
• reduce excessive paper flows, and the paper used is to meet stringent environmental requirements
• stimulate sustainable transportation for all our staff and are gradually reducing parking facilities.

Compensation for CO2 emissions

De Volksbank compensates CO2 emissions that it cannot avoid through one of the UN controlled climate compensation programmes. We have opted for the REDD+ verified carbon credits. See the Certificate Tambopata-Bahuaja Biodiversity Reserve.

By using these credits, we contribute to the reduction in CO2 emissions and our climate neutral business operations.