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Inhouse ecology
The management of climate risks – not just in inhouse ecology – is an increasingly important task for the economy.
Not for nothing does the World Economic Forum classify climate change as one of the greatest risks in the 2018
Global Risks Report. Companies that do not set climate protection targets or only do so to an inadequate extent
or rather do not incorporate any climate-related aspects into their corporate strategy should expect that their
profitability will suffer in the medium to long term. Effective climate protection has long been a competitive factor
in the capital market.
In general, energy efficiency, renewable energy, environmentally friendly mobility and sustainable purchasing
are particularly important in corporate environmental protection. Nevertheless, because of RBI’s carbon footprints
energy consumption in the contexts of building management and the mobility sector are the two most essential
areas for action. These are also key for attaining the environmental targets (see page 113).
RBI is committed to environmental and climate protection, with the goal of keeping environmental impacts to a
minimum. The company therefore works to continuously improve the main environmental parameters in the most
relevant areas. The environmental management system in Austria is based on international standards (e.g. ISO
14001). The network banks in CEE are also conscious of their responsibility for the environment and work to
continuously improve this.
Impacts, risks and opportunities
The impacts of corporate environmental activities on the environment and society are assessed annually. The
most important measures are those of carbon footprint, and the meeting of environmental goals. With readings
for 2011 as the baseline, comparisons of changes in emissions are made from one year to the next. As the
changes in the world’s climate have far-reaching consequences which stretch beyond national borders, there is no
regional limitation of effects in this regard. The impact of greenhouse gas emissions on the environment is entirely
negative, however, use of renewable energy, or the promotion of energy efficiency, can lead to improvements in the
situation. These areas also have a positive effect on society, for example by creating or preserving jobs.
The greatest risk for the economy, society and environment – if companies are unwilling to counter climate change –
is the onset of global warming with the known negative Impacts. For this reason, RBI defined environmental targets
for the entire group in 2015.
There are risks for RBI, particularly in terms of cost. Examples of such risks are one-off additional costs during
work on the shell of the building and conversion to LED lighting. Additional costs can also accrue due to higher
procurement costs, combined with the longer time required to assess products and a smaller purchasing selection.
RBI is making a positive contribution to society with concrete steps related to environmental management. We
are trying to contribute to meeting the goals of the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris (COP21) by working
to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and promoting the renewable energy sector of the economy. The area of
consistent cost-cutting offers an important opportunity for RBI in inhouse ecology. Because business transactions
and energy consumption are among the largest generators of emissions in inhouse ecology, measures to reduce
these influence factors bring the greatest cost savings in the course of operations. Furthermore, reputation risks
are minimized, new collaborations in research and development are fostered, and resilience in the face of the
consequences of climate change is increased. Risks in the added value chain, for example due to delivery delays,
are reduced by the purchasing of regional products. This risk is minimized with a regional procurement share of
more than 80 percent in RBI. The impact of core business on the environment is described in the chapter
“Responsible Banker” on page 37.
Raiffeisen Bank International | Sustainability Report 2017