53 GRI Index and Assurance statement Engaged citizen Fair partner Responsible banker Human Capacity Report Sustainability management Overview Foreword or to the environment. No products that are banned or the subject of public debate were offered or sold during the period under review. We place a special focus on continuously developing our products. This is ensured through group-wide product competence centers. Our broad range of products and innovative banking solutions are important building blocks for the high level of satisfaction and loyalty among our customers. The consistent development of our range of products and services with a special focus on understandable and customer-friendly solutions as well as easy access to information, short decision-making paths and sustainable development will continue to strengthen the position of the RBI Group. As part of this, internal procedures will be standardized and the risk classification process improved. In order to expand the offering for customers, we work continuously on the development of innovative products. In the process, we pay attention to trends and developments on the market (see also “Other sustainable products and services”, starting on page 72). The RZB Group follows a standardized product introduction process that applies to all new products, product combinations and variations throughout the entire network. This is intended to ensure that every product is offered in an optimal form and all risks associated with a product are known. Ecological product responsibility The RZB Group cares about the environment. For this reason, the financing of or participation in transactions or projects which threaten lasting environmental damage does not form part of our business policy. The RZB Group is committed to complying with all applicable environmental regulations in each country, with regard to its business operations and service sectors. It acts in an environmentally-conscious manner and continually strives to improve its own environmental balance as well as the environmental balance attributable to its product and services portfolio. When making decisions, every employee must consider the potential risks posed by a transaction or project that could lead to negative impacts on the environment. The risks range from endangering the environment to the associated risk for the financing business as well as the resulting reputation damage to the Group. In addition, it must always be ensured when auditing financing and projects that the company being financed is using the funds in a way that ensures compliance with the respective regional and EU environmental legislation as well as with the international agreements on protecting the environment. Carbon Policy The RZB Group is committed to promoting environmentally friendly technologies. The declared fight against climate change, based on the climate agreement in Paris in 2015, has given impetus to our ambitions in this area. We see this as a chance for new business fields, such as in the areas of renewable energy, electric mobility, energy efficiency and resource management. The climate agreement could drive investments in these areas and provide new impetus for innovation. We have therefore established restrictions on our own practices that apply across the entire RBI Group. For example, we avoid new thermal coal mining projects and new business relationships with customers in the thermal coal mining segment or whose revenues are more than 50 percent generated from thermal coal trading. Investments in the financing of coal power plants are entered into only on a selective basis and only if the project offers discernible positive environmental impacts. We are striving for a significant reduction in our involvement with thermal coal. Instead, we set priorities in projects associated with renewable energy.
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