Responsible banking – managing ESG issues

  • Goal 13 - Climate action
    Goal 13 - Climate action
    Goal 13 - Climate action
  • Goal 17 - Peace, justice and strong institutions
    Goal 17 - Peace, justice and strong institutions
    Goal 17 - Peace, justice and strong institutions
  • GRI:
  • Role of the highest governance body in overseeing the management of impacts2-12
    Role of the highest governance body in overseeing the management of impacts
  • Policy commitments2-23
    Policy commitments
  • Embedding policy commitments2-24
    Embedding policy commitments
  • ESG:
  • Our approach to the environmentE- Enviroment
    Our approach to the environment
  • Our approach to Social ResponsibilityS – Social
    Our approach to Social Responsibility
  • Our approach to corporate governanceG – Governance
    Our approach to corporate governance
  • PRB:
  • We will align our business strategy to be consistent with and contribute to individuals’ needs and society’s goals, as expressed in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Paris Climate Agreement and relevant national and regional frameworks. We will focus our efforts where we have the most significant impact.1 Alignment
    We will align our business strategy to be consistent with and contribute to individuals’ needs and society’s goals, as expressed in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Paris Climate Agreement and relevant national and regional frameworks. We will focus our efforts where we have the most significant impact.
  • We will work responsibly with our clients and our customers to encourage sustainable practices and enable economic activities that create shared prosperity for current and future generations.3 Clients and Customers
    We will work responsibly with our clients and our customers to encourage sustainable practices and enable economic activities that create shared prosperity for current and future generations.

Santander Bank Polska S.A. builds long-term value for all stakeholders in a sustainable manner. An integral and inseparable part of the bank’s overall business strategy is the Responsible Banking Strategy. It defines the bank’s approach to ESG issues and sets directions for sustainable development.

The pillars on which we build our responsible banking are:

  • corporate culture
  • sustainable finance

We adapt the Responsible Banking Agenda to the challenges and needs of society in order to help and meet needs in line with the best international standards, in particular including:

  • Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),
  • Paris Climate Agreement,
  • UNEP FI Principles for Responsible Banking (PRB),
  • Net Zero Banking Alliance.

Through its ESG strategy, the bank can contribute to the achievement of the global goals of the UN Agenda 2030. The bank focuses its business activities on those areas where it has a real impact as a financial institution, such as:

Policies and documents that define our approach to sustainable development

  • GRI:
  • Policy commitments2-23
    Policy commitments
  • Embedding policy commitments2-24
    Embedding policy commitments

”The Sustainability Policy” sets out the Group’s voluntary, general ethical, social and environmental commitments and principles, which go beyond the requirements of the legal framework. It is supplemented by the following additional documents:

  • ”Social, Environmental and Climate Change Risk Management Policy”,

  • ”Human Rights Policy”,

  • ”Corporate Volunteering Policy”,

  • ”Defence Sector Policy”,

  • ”Policy of financing sensitive sectors”.

Responsible Banking Performance

Objective 2021 2020
Top 10 employers (place in ranking) Top Employer Certificate Top Employer Certificate
Women in managerial positions (%) 34.7% 35%
Equal pay Gap (%) 2.4% 2.4%
Number of financially empowered people since 1 January, 2019 (thousands) 130,992 70,767
Green finance provided (EUR m)* 214 144
Electricity from renewable sources (%) ** 82% 85%
Reduction of single-use plastics (%) 100% 100%
Scholarships, internships and entrepreneurship programmes (number) 6,422 3,283
Number of people helped (in thousands) 305,652 363,464
*Excluding the Corporate and Investment Banking Division.
**Change in the indicator presentation vs. previous ESG Reports. We have now also included energy that the bank does not buy directly from suppliers (e.g. branches).

Our Climate Strategy and Green Finance are described in Chapter Green Bank – Environment.

Key information related to our climate impact as reported by the TCFD is provided in the section TCFD report.

Management commitment

  • GRI:
  • Collective knowledge of the highest governance body2-17
    Collective knowledge of the highest governance body

In addition to their duty to manage the organisation in a responsible manner taking into account best practices in ESG areas, the Management Board of our bank also aims to continuously raise awareness in this area and to promote the principles of sustainable development outside the organisation.

In 2021, the CEO of our bank participated in a number of events with a broad focus on sustainability and ESG issues, including:

  • EKF’s Quarter of an Hour ”Reconstruction and Transformation of the Polish Economy”.

  • Puls Biznesu debate on ”Climate Neutrality – Getting There Faster”.

  • CEO Debate organised by Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.

Moreover, members of the Management Board have been speaking in trade media on the most relevant topics related to sustainability. The President of the Management Board provided a commentary for Puls Biznesu as part of a series of articles entitled ”Green Economy 2021″, while the Member of the Management Board responsible for the Business and Corporate Banking Division commented for the same medium on the article ”The Banking Sector Awaits Eco-regulation”.

The active participation of the bank’s management in events dedicated to sustainability topics and the presentation of our bank’s approach to a wide audience foster the exchange of experiences with ESG leaders and experts, thus expanding the knowledge and awareness of managers and the organisation as a whole.