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ABN AMRO is setting an example for the Netherlands when it comes to increasing the sustainability of buildings. The bank today received BREEAM Excellent certification for its head office at Gustav Mahlerlaan in Amsterdam. The ABN AMRO building is the first existing building in the Netherlands with this certification.
The ABN AMRO Social Impact Fund has invested in WAAR Netherlands, a Dutch social retail chain that exclusively sells sustainable articles from fair trade and other social enterprises. The chain has grown in recent years, bucking the downward retail sales trend, from 10 shops in 2013 to 17 now. WAAR aims to grow to 48 shops by the end of 2018.
Offshore wind power to gain momentum
ABN AMRO wants to accelerate the transition to sustainable commercial property in the Netherlands. The sector is facing the challenge of reducing the large number of vacant offices, shops and industrial premises. At the same time, the property market wants to make clear progress in terms of innovation and bringing down CO2 levels. ABN AMRO today presented its new strategy for this dynamic sector, revealing its ambition of becoming the most sustainable property bank in the Netherlands.
ABN AMRO is the first commercial bank in the Netherlands to issue a ‘euro green bond’. This product enables investors to invest in mortgages of highly energy-efficient homes, loans for solar panels on existing homes and sustainable commercial property.
ABN AMRO has taken a number of steps to promote sustainability for its clients. The bank is today introducing a new sustainability indicator which gives clients clear and extensive insight into how specific companies perform on sustainability and corporate responsibility. In addition to its current investment strategy, which excludes investments in controversial weapons and rates companies based on ESG (environmental, social and governmental) criteria, the bank now also takes into account the exposure to violations of public treaties and the company’s sustainability policy.
London – 30 April 2015 - The Sustainable Shipping Initiative (“SSI”), a pioneering coalition of companies from across the global shipping industry focused on uniting commercial growth with sustainable behaviours, has won the Guardian Sustainable Business award for ‘Consultancy of the Year’. Members were commended for delivering multiple projects that have brought new innovation and insight to help the shipping industry accelerate progress towards a more robust, responsible and profitable future.
Three thousand senior citizens in the Netherlands who will spend the holidays on their own will receive a little emotional support in the coming week. They will receive a Christmas tree from ABN AMRO, which they will set up together with a volunteer from the bank. ‘Christmas angels’ is an annual initiative of ABN AMRO Foundation. Never before have so many senior citizens received a Christmas tree from ABN AMRO in the run-up to the holidays.
Dutch companies join forces for clean energy
Research agency Sustainalytics has named ABN AMRO Industry Leader in Sustainability. This puts ABN AMRO among the top 5% of the most sustainable companies in the global financial industry.
IVY, een wasserette/stomerij met ophaal- en bezorgdienst, ontvangt coaching van Qredits Microfinanciering Nederland. ABN AMRO’s Anton Stevens denkt mee met oprichter Unice Bergs.
On 14 May 2014, a large international banking syndicate including ABN AMRO completed funding arrangements for the Netherlands’ largest-ever offshore wind farm, the Gemini Project.
There’s a bit of a debate going on about the draft Social Charter recently published by the Dutch Banking Association (Dutch acronym: NVB). The initial response from civil society has been less than encouraging – the Social Charter is claimed not to be strict enough. The question is whether the debate addresses the right issue and the right actor: should NVB write a ‘stricter’ Social Charter for all banks or should the banks themselves take things forward? And is stricter really the solution?
The ABN AMRO Social Impact Fund invested last week in the concept of SCOPEinsight, a Dutch company that plans to support agricultural firms in developing countries. SCOPEinsight aims to improve information on agricultural firms in Africa, Latin America and Asia in order to give them greater access to local lenders. The company focuses on mid-sized organisations that are too large for microfinancing and too small for local commercial credit – and, as such, fall between two stools.
