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Raiffeisen Bank International | Sustainability Report 2017
GRI content index / Assurance statement Engaged citizen Fair partner Responsible banker Sustainability management Overview Foreword
Compliance with legal regulations
Compliance with legal regulations is subjected to a stringent procedure defined in the management system. Thus,
in 2017, at the Vienna sites as well as the network banks, there were no convictions for violations of environmental
protection regulations.
Environmental Committee
In accordance with their responsibility for environmental measures, the Management Boards of RBI AG appointed
an Environmental Officer and an Operational Environmental Committee in 1994. The Environmental Committee
is the advisory and decision-making committee. Permanent members are the Environmental Officer of RBI AG as
well as representatives of Group Sustainability Management and of the Staff Council. Depending on the field of
expertise, other representatives of the departments, such as IT, will be involved in the meetings. The Environmental
Officer convenes the Environmental Committee at least twice a year. Tasks of the Environmental Committee include
developing decision-making principles for the Management Board regarding ecological strategies, planning
and initiatives, as well as conducting periodic present-state assessments and weak point analysis.
Topics in recent years included, for example, drafting of a climate policy and climate strategy within the scope of
membership in the Raiffeisen Sustainability Initiative (RNI), as well as support for awareness-raising events, such
as the bicycle repair days. These events are held annually to support environmentally conscious mobility of
employees. The increased use of new technological solutions, particularly in order to save on business travel,
was dealt with, among other things.
Environmental policy
RBI has had an environmental policy since 2015. As a sustainably operating banking group, the
traditional Raiffeisen values were the central point of reference for its design. The contents of the
environmental policy are included in the sustainability guiding principles of RBI in the areas of
product ecology, inhouse ecology and climate-friendly society, as published on the website at
www.rbinternational.com. With respect to the area of inhouse ecology, for example, the guiding principles
state that RBI is committed to continuously improving its services for the environment beyond regulatory
requirements, where possible and reasonable.
Travel policy
RBI’s Travel Policy contains rules for traveling to events and conferences, and defines framework
conditions for business trips in Austria and abroad. The travel policy was revised in accordance
with environmental factors in October 2013. The choice of means of transport must take into
account economic and environmental considerations. This applies to the Austrian units including
the subsidiaries, and also provides a framework for the network banks. To save costs and protect the
environment, business trips should – where possible – be replaced by available technologies, such as web
and video conferences. The mode of transport to be used should result in the lowest costs, taking travel time into
consideration. Furthermore, environmentally friendly means of transport (e.g. public transportation) are
preferred.