The RZB group has published a sustainability Report in 2015
Vienna. 14 June
· The motto of this report is “Focus on the material”
· Successful implementation of numerous sustainability initiatives
· Auditing in accordance with G4 guideline of the Global Reporting Initiative
The RZB Group publishes its Sustainability Report 2015 today. It is available in German at www.rzb.at/nachhaltigkeitsbericht2015. The English version is accessible at www.rzb.at/sustainabilityreport2015. “This report is already the sixth of its kind. In it, we provide comprehensive information on our claims to sustainability and social responsibility, how we implemented these in the past year and how we will continue in the future. As a banking group, we have found ourselves in an environment of constantly changing conditions for some time now. In this context, the importance of the topic of sustainability in our business activity is critical. Not least because of this, we have been a member of the United Nations Global Compact, the largest network for corporate responsibility worldwide, since 2010,” says Walter Rothensteiner, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Managing Board of the Raiffeisen Zentralbank Österreich AG.
Stakeholder inclusion and materiality analysis
“The annual Sustainability Report is an important component of our established dialog and the comprehensive inclusion of our stakeholders. In order to be able to better evaluate and weight our essential themes and fields of action, we have used the innovative instrument of a topic map for the first time. With the help of this, the eight most material thematic areas of the RZB Group have been identified from a sustainability standpoint. This was the basis for the online Group-wide materiality survey of our internal and external stakeholders conducted at the beginning of 2016. All of the results have been incorporated within our current materiality matrix, which we will now continue to work with intensively,” says Andrea Sihn-Weber, Head of the Sustainability Management of the RZB Group.
Comprehensive sustainability projects initiated
The sustainability strategy of the RZB Group is to act as a responsible banker in the core business, a fair partner in the sense of the stakeholder inclusion and as an engaged corporate citizen. A number of projects and measures were initiated and implemented on the basis of this orientation in the last fiscal year.
In all of our areas of business and products, the focus is on building long-term profitable business relations while avoiding social and environmental risks and embracing opportunities to improve environmental protection and social standards. In addition, the sustainability effect in our core business should be clearly traceable and measurable. In order to expand the offering for customers, we are developing innovative products such as Green Bonds.
For the first time, an Environmental Balance Sheet was published in which the greenhouse gas emissions produced by the RZB Group in Austria and the economic effects caused by green investments were analyzed. This analysis transparently presented the environmental footprint while also evaluating a large number of climate-related results. These show that the RZB Group – in line with its values and clear commitment to responsible action – contributes to a sustainable and livable environment with investments and by providing financing for its customers.
In autumn 2015, a response was made to the current refugee situation in Austria with a comprehensive corporate volunteering program. The “Haus Roshan” project launched with the Caritas of the Archdiocese of Vienna for the sustainable integration of unaccompanied refugee minors will continue to play a big role within the scope of the social commitment.
The renewed inclusion of RBI AG in the VÖNIX sustainability index, the listing in the STOXX® Global ESG Leaders index and the FTSE4Good Index Series as well as our recent recognition by the Carbon Disclosure Project are a clear confirmation of the engagement in the field of sustainability.
Reporting in accordance with GRI G4 and auditing by KPMG
The Sustainability Report 2015 has again been prepared in accordance with the G4 guidelines of the international Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). The GRI is a globally recognized, comprehensive and transparent reporting framework which makes it possible for companies and organizations to present their financial, ecological and social performance in a transparent way using a range of indicators. The independent auditing of the Sustainability Report was conducted by KPMG Austria GmbH Wirtschaftsprüfungs- und Steuerberatungsgesellschaft.
Current information on the area of sustainability management within the RZB Group can be viewed at www.rzb.at/sustainabilitymanagement.
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Raiffeisen Zentralbank Österreich (RZB) is the central institution of the Austrian Raiffeisen Banking Group, the country's largest banking group, including Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI). It also acts as the steering holding for the whole RZB Group and operates as platform for the Raiffeisen Banking Group, especially within its home market Austria and Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).
Via its on the Vienna Stock Exchange listed subsidiary Raiffeisen Bank International, RZB holds one of the largest banking networks in CEE. It covers 15 markets across the region through subsidiary banks, leasing companies and a range of other financial service providers. The RZB Group's more than 53,000 employees service around 14.9 million customers through more than 2,700 business outlets.
For more information, please contact
Ingrid Krenn-Ditz (+43-1-71707-6055, ingrid.krenn-ditz@rbinternational.com) or
Monika Riedel (+43-1-71707-8787, monika.riedel@rbinternational.com).
http://www.rzb.at, http://www.rbinternational.com
