An important part of the NLB Group mission – besides taking superior care of our customers with our commitment, knowledge and innovative solutions – is also creating a better life, a better future for the whole region in which we operate. The NLB Group strongly believes it can add value to clients, employees and at the same time to the whole society, which is why it embarked on a path of more intensive integration of sustainability into banking operations.
We are extremely proud to be the first Slovene bank to commit to the UNEP FI (United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative) Principles for Responsible Banking.
The Principles for Responsible Banking set out the banking industry’s role and responsibility in shaping a sustainable future and in aligning the banking sector with the objectives of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. They also, importantly, encourage the bank to embed sustainability across all its business areas, and to identify where it has the potential to make the most impact in its contributions to a sustainable world, while at the same time opening new business opportunities for the entire NLB Group.
The three key steps required by the principles to continuously improve the impact on the environment and contribute to a better society are the analysis of the current impact on people and planet, setting of targets where the bank can have the most significant impact, their implementation, and public reporting on the progress. The first such reporting on the progress and implementation of the principles in practice must be published by the banks eighteen months after the signing of the principles.
At the signing, Blaž Brodnjak, CEO, emphasized: “This is an important step that shows that we really care about the region in which we operate and live, and that binds us to work in the field of sustainability in a systematic, engaged and continuous way. The NLB Group is not merely a financial group. We are people who know and understand the industry we work in, who develop innovative, customer-oriented products and services, who feel and understand the environment, society and the region we live in, and who want to contribute to better conditions for businesses and quality of life for citizens. Because for us, Southeast Europe is not just a spot on a map. We call and treat it as our home. The heart and the head of the NLB Group are situated here, therefore our wish and ambition is to see this region thrive. We want to support achieving this with responsible and sustainable approach towards our business operations and towards the role we play in the society. We firmly believe that sustainability is not just something we put on paper, but an actual series of decisions and actions with which we aim to become a company with an important positive impact on society and environment in our home region and one of the most desirable employers. We will address the sustainable role in all markets where we operate, with the aim of establishing a regional sustainable platform. We wish to support companies that operate locally or regionally, that create here and understand their role in society as we understand it and fulfil it.”