Environmental responsibility

Swedbank’s commitment to sustainable development is based on the conviction that sustainability makes business sense. This is manifested in our Environmental Policy and our Sustainability Policy.

In 2008, a Group-wide Environmental Policy was adopted by the Swedbank Board of Directors. The policy forms a baseline for the environmental work in the Group. All business areas set up environmental goals. Since 2003, Swedish operations implement an environmental management system, which is certified according to the international standard ISO 14001.

In 2011, Swedbank’s Board of Directors adopted a Group-wide Sustainability Policy. This marks two shifts in Swedbank’s approach to sustainability issues: The first is showing the connection between sustainability and environment and the business perspective, whereby sustainability is a mean to improve profitability. The second is seeing environmental issues as part of sustainability in its full meaning, including both social, environmental and financial aspects. This change ensures an ability of efficient use of resources when coping with interlinked sustainability opportunities and challenges.

Environmental considerations are increasingly becoming an integral part of our core business operations and we are continuously striving to improve our analysis models for environmental risk assessments in our investments and credits. We are putting effort into minimizing our direct environmental impact and are taking measures to track our performance such as collecting and following up our climate emissions, working with our certified environmental management system and carrying out environmental education for employees. Our environmental efforts focus on our most significant impact in order to manage relevant risks and opportunities.

To integrate environmental considerations into business operations is an investment for the future. It is one out of many ways to manage risk and cut costs. It is a way for us to help our customers make conscious choices that will benefit their finances as well as the planet. But foremost it is part of our business purpose: To promote a sound and sustainable financial situation for the many households and businesses.