Santander Bank Polska among the most ethical companies in Poland
Santander Bank Polska was awarded in the „Ethical Company” competition organised by Puls Biznesu. Ethical activity, transparency and social responsibility earned the bank a place among a small group of companies perceived as truly professional, trustworthy and fully accountable for their actions.
The aim of the 'Ethical Company’ competition is to distinguish organisations which are guided by ethical standards in their activities, respect their business partners, follow the principles of fair competition, take action for the benefit of society and care for good relations within the organisation. The first stage is to collect detailed information on the company’s activities, which are then thoroughly verified. In order to proceed to the next stage, the required minimum score must be achieved. Of crucial importance are the organisation’s environmental initiatives, engagement in social welfare projects and offering development opportunities to the company’s employees.
The jury of the competition recognised Santander Bank Polska for its actions aimed at building and strengthening an organisational culture based on ethics and the principles of corporate social responsibility, distinguishing it from other companies in Poland.
Santander Bank Polska has been taking action for the benefit of the environment for many years. It is active in green financing and corporate products, supports companies in their energy transition and finances renewable energy sources. In 2021, supporting its clients in green transformation, Santander Bank Polska carried out renewable energy transactions worth PLN 503.7 million. The bank also offers green financial products for individual customers and encourages them to sign contracts electronically or authorise transactions via SMS.
Protecting the environment is one of the main objectives of our Responsible Banking Strategy. In 2021, we announced the global Net Zero strategy, which aims to make the entire Santander Group zero-carbon by 2050. In addition, more than half of our branches are equipped with energy-efficient LED lighting. The electricity purchased by us directly comes only from certified green sources. Our car fleet consists of hybrid vehicles. We also promote online banking and remote processes among our customers to reduce paper consumption.
Santander Bank Polska cares about the responsible use of energy resources. The office buildings have Green Building certificates and are equipped with state-of-the-art BMS systems and high-performance appliances. As a result, their energy efficiency is 15% higher than in non-certified buildings. Energy-saving solutions have also been implemented in the branches e.g. LED lighting, upgraded central heating boilers and new air conditioning systems. In order to be sure that the implemented measures bring positive results, every 4 years an Energy Audit of the Company is carried out, during which its energy efficiency is examined. In this way, energy consumption is monitored and analysed on an ongoing basis, and new solutions whose effectiveness can easily be analysed are introduced.
The bank’s contribution is not, however, limited to environment only. The pandemic and the resulting sense of social isolation have had a negative impact on the state of mental health among young people. That is why in 2021 Santander Bank Polska decided to support psychiatric wards for children and young people in 16 hospitals across Poland. Thanks to the „We Will Double Your Impact” fundraiser organised by the Santander Foundation, together with customers, PLN 2 million was collected to support the mental health of young people.
The bank also showed its concern for the thousands of refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine. Santander Group’s banks in Europe have donated PLN 4.5 million to the Red Cross and UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, to help those most in need. Additionally, as part of the We Will Double Your Impact fundraising campaign Santander has committed to doubling the amount of each donation made up to PLN 1.5 million. The campaign runs until 31 March, so far a total of almost PLN 4 million has been collected to help Ukraine.
