Bank Millennium S A : is investing in environmentally friendly solutions

Activities for the benefit of the natural environment are an integral part of Bank Millennium's strategy. We attach great importance to reviewing and reducing the level of emissions from the properties that we occupy in connection with our activities. In 2022, all electricity purchased by the Bank will be covered by certificates of origin from renewable energy sources. We are introducing environmentally-friendly solutions in our head offices; recently the employees of the Bank's Head Office in Wrocław moved to the new headquarters satisfying high environmental standards. This year, we opened a model environmentally-friendly Bank Millennium branch in Gdańsk.

- We view our responsibility for the climate as an external as well as internal commitment. The Bank Millennium Group has consistently engaged in financing energy-efficient projects. We act in accordance with the environmental policy that we have in place. We do not finance new coal mines and coal-fired power generation projects, except for new projects which reduce pollution. A few years ago, the Bank decided to significantly reduce its exposures to the coal industry. As a result, today the portfolio of exposures to coal mining and industries directly related to mining is insignificant. Last year, the Bank Millennium Group's exposure was 2.2% of the corporate portfolio and 0.6% of the Group's entire portfolio. We make active efforts to reduce the carbon footprint related to our activities, and we have published details on our own emission levels since 2011. They decline every year - Antonio Pinto, Member of the Management Board of Bank Millennium, said.

- We choose ecological and innovative solutions in our head offices and in 2021 we performed an energy audit of our headquarters. 2021 is the first full year, in which we will fully benefit from the savings generated by the modernization of LED lighting in the Warsaw head office, thereby reducing our carbon footprint by 500 tons annually. The relocation of our Wroclaw head office to new headquarters located in a building with a LEED GOLD certificate confirming its energy efficiency and sustainability will allow us to reduce the demand of the Wrocław head office for electricity by half. We have taken a comprehensive approach to the design: from introducing environmental solutions at the office, such as LED lighting with intensity sensors, walls and ceilings made out of wood wool, to equipment made out of natural or recycled materials. We also auctioned off the equipment and furniture from our previous headquarters to our employees, giving it the second life. In the beginning of the year, we will share a comprehensive summary of the project and its climate impact - Weronika Paksoy, Head of the Real Estate Sub-unit at the Administration and Infrastructure Department in Bank Millennium, said.

Another example of investing in environmentally-friendly solutions is a model sustainable Bank Millennium branch, which opened this year in Gdańsk. The branch was moved from an old building to a new one, which meets strict environmental standards. We considered the low emission ambition already at an early planning stage. This was reflected both in purchasing decisions and in hiring an independent partner to calculate emission reductions in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol standard (Greenhouse Gas Protocol, A Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard, revised edition, March 2004). The conscious choice of innovative, environmentally-friendly solutions in the new branch, combined with reduced consumption of energy and other utilities and the purchase of green energy (which is produced by wind power in a renewable energy source, as confirmed by guarantees of origin), has allowed us to reduce emissions by more than 70% compared to the previous location. For a single Bank branch, this means reduction of nearly 39 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year, which is equivalent to supplying 62 Poles with electricity for the entire year. This is also how much 26 people would save by switching from cars to bicycles for a year.

- We believe that pro-environmental behavior and everyday choices are at least as important as environmental solutions implemented in buildings. We conduct a large number of environmental campaigns addressed to the employees of the Bank Millennium Group, segregate trash and reduce the amount of waste produced, organize collections of e-waste from employees, and reduce the amount of plastic materials ordered. Hybrid cars represent the majority of our fleet; all cars purchased new or replaced are hybrid vehicles. We have launched charging stations for electric cars, bicycles and scooters at the Bank's head office in Warsaw. The coming year 2022 will see even more environmentally-friendly projects - Ivo Novo, Director of the Administration and Infrastructure Department in Bank Millennium, concluded.

The Bank Millennium Group has published social reports every year since 2006. They present the key aspects of the Group's impact on environmental, social and economic sustainability. The latest report can be found at https://raportroczny.bankmillennium.pl/2020/pl/link opens in a new window