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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
Engaged citizen
We consider ourselves to be an engaged corporate citizen who actively champions sustainable development in
our society. The commitment of RBI as a corporate citizen extends beyond the core business. This involves
pursuing the aims of counteracting social problems, promoting cultural life, and protecting the environment.
Diversity, tolerance and a strong focus on people are the mainstay of our efforts to bring about future-oriented
developments in society. As defined in RBI’s sustainability strategy, the key areas of action – including in the role
of committed corporate citizen – always contains economic, social and environmental considerations.
In the head office, a regulation sets up the procedure for donations, sponsorship and advertising requests, as
well as for memberships for all employees. While there are national rules in the network banks, the Code of
Conduct (see page 40 et seq.) makes it compulsory for all employees that charitable contributions are under no
circumstances allowed to be used as a condition or means of influencing decisions or public officials.
In our role as “engaged citizen”, we champion issues that are essential for the transformation into a sustainable
society. In that context, sustainability is not limited to environmental protection, but rather, environmental protection
is linked to economic progress and social justice.
As an international banking company, we think it is important to play a part in future issues being openly
discussed in conjunction with a sustainable financial economy, and these issues being deliberated with our
stakeholders and the wider public.
Cooperation with the relevant socio-political representatives and stakeholders is very important, as new systems
can only be created through cooperation. These systems also signify a new quality in the economy.
The RBI Group champions an active civil society and social well-being. It supports an open society and considers
itself to be promoter of integration, awareness and openness. Social awareness is a driving force for sustainability.
This means that RBI is trying to demonstrate the consequences of social action and to make discussion of
sustainable solutions public.
At Raiffeisen, protecting the environment and the climate has been incorporated into the “Raiffeisen Nachhaltigkeits-
Initiative” (Raiffeisen Sustainability Initiative, RNI) – previously the Raiffeisen Klimaschutz-Initiative (Raiffeisen
Climate Protection Initiative) for over ten years and is implemented through a multitude of projects and measures.
The RNI is considered a platform, service and representational device for all the activities of its members (RBI AG
is one of its founding members) in the area of sustainability. It supports its members in the conception, implementation
and communication of measures related to this issue. Driving sustainability and raising awareness are among the
priorities of the platform.
In order to achieve long-term success, dialogue with internal and external stakeholders, as well as comprehensive
communication, were of great importance from the outset. For example, an annual networking event has been
established which, in addition to expert lectures and panel discussions, also enables sharing of best practices. In
addition to the RNI website and Facebook page, we have, since 2015, hosted a separate, content-rich eco-energy
blog. Selected collaborations, such as the student ideas competition “Jugend Innovativ” (Innovative Youth), have
also been successfully implemented for many years.