EMAS, which goes beyond the internationally recognised ISO 14001 standard, is the world's most ambitious environmental management scheme, launched by the European Commission in 1993. NRW.BANK has been awarded the EMAS (Eco-Management and Audit Scheme) certificate for the first time in 2024.
To underline the importance of corporate responsibility for NRW.BANK and to promote its further development internally, the Bank joined the “Diversity Charter” and the “United Nations Environment Programme - Finance Initiative (UNEP FI)” in 2009 and signed the ten principles of the UN Global Compact. Since 2015, the Bank has also been a member of the Green Bond Principles and of the Verein für Umweltmanagement und Nachhaltigkeit in Finanzinstituten e.V. (VfU). To reaffirm its sustainable investment policy, NRW.BANK signed the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) in 2020.
The “Diversity Charter” is an initiative which aims to promote diversity in organisations. By signing the Diversity Charter, NRW.BANK committed itself to creating a working environment that is free of prejudice and exclusion, thus fostering acceptance and mutual trust.
Go to “Diversity Charter” website.
NRW.BANK has been an official member of the ICMA Green Bond Principles (GBPs) since 2015. NRW.BANK’s Green Bond concept complies with the standards formulated in the GBPs. It was therefore a logical step for the Bank to join the GBPs. ICMA complied with this request within only two days.
Go to “Green Bond Principles” website.
PRI is a global investor initiative joined by more than 3,500 signatories with over USD 100 trillion in assets. The financial institutions commit themselves to complying with six core principles for responsible investment. The aim is, on the one hand, to create a better understanding among the signatories of the investment implications of environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. On the other hand, the initiative supports its members in incorporating sustainability aspects into their investment decisions. As a signatory, NRW.BANK undertakes to comply with the six core principles for responsible investment and underlines its sustainable strategy in the capital market.
Go to “Principles for Responsible Investment” website [German].
UNEP FI is a global partnership between the United Nations Environment Programme and the financial sector. By signing this declaration on sustainable development, NRW.BANK committed itself to aligning its business activities accordingly and to practising forward-looking environmental management.
Go to “UNEP FI” website.
The UN Global Compact is a voluntary initiative of the United Nations, whose central instrument are the “Ten Principles” on the key issues of human rights, labour standards, anti-corruption and environmental protection. NRW.BANK endorses these principles and also supports their implementation in practice.
Go to “UN Global Compact” website.
The “Verein für Umweltmanagement und Nachhaltigkeit in Finanzinstituten e.V.” (VfU – Association for Environmental Management and Sustainability in Financial Institutions) is a network of leading financial service providers from Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. NRW.BANK uses the VfU indicator system for the preparation of its eco-balance. It enables financial institutions to determine comparable environmental indicators based on international reporting requirements.
Go to VfU website [German]..
The state capital of Düsseldorf, the Düsseldorf Chamber of Industry and Commerce, the Düsseldorf Chamber of Skilled Crafts and the Düsseldorf District Association of Skilled Crafts have launched the "Düsseldorf Climate Pact with Business" with the citywide goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2035. By signing the climate protection agreement, NRW.BANK has declared its willingness to implement measures to reduce greenhouse gases and to continuously reduce energy and resource consumption.