138
© Raiffeisen Bausparkasse Gesellschaft m. b. H.
© Tatra Banka, a.s.
© Green Revolution Association
Raiffeisen Bank International | Sustainability Report 2017
With an innovative climate campaign, Raiffeisen
Bausparkasse Gesellschaft m.b.H. (RBSK) in Austria
supported a sustainable climate protection project in
Zimbabwe. During the promotional period from
January 30 to March 31, RBSK purchased CO2
certificates of one ton for each land-secured building
society loan, thus protecting 30 trees each for three
years. A total of 50,000 trees in the south African
country of Zimbabwe were saved in this way,
compensating for 1,500 tons of CO2 emissions. This
campaign was executed in cooperation with Climate
Austria.
Through its financial support of local organizations and
associations in Slovakia, Tatra banka, a.s. actively
contributed to improving life in the country’s cities. A
different focus is established for these activities in each
quarter. The first quarter was dedicated to protecting
the environment and social networks by supporting
41 projects and activities. In the second quarter, the
emphasis was placed on supporting schools and
learning. In the third quarter, the focus lay on the
support and development of sports, while the fourth
quarter saw the promotion of cultural values. For
example, a new recreational zone with a new soccer
field, new wooden benches with a fire pit, and a new
water source was built in the green zone near the city of Nova Dubnica. The public can use this natural space for
athletic activities or simply to enjoy spending time there on weekends and days off.
The “I’Velo” (I love to cycle) program, which is
supported by Raiffeisen Bank S.A. in Romania in
partnership with the “Green Revolution Association”,
is the first bike sharing program in Romania and is
intended to promote an alternative means of transport
for healthier living in the city. Established in 2010, the
“I’Velo” program encompasses three projects: “I’Velo
Urban”, “I’Velo Relax” and “Student O’Bike”.
The bike sharing system “I’Velo Urban” is offered – as
an emission-free alternative to public transportation –
at twelve locations in Bucharest with 180 bicycles.
Bicycles were borrowed almost 18,000 times during
the 2017 program, and 2,200 people decided to subscribe. “I’Velo Relax” is a bike sharing system in and
around park areas. It consists of eight bike sharing centers that rent out over 850 bicycles. In the year 2017, over
161,000 bicycle rentals were made through this system.
The “Student O’Bike” program is a bike sharing concept for students. 240 bicycles are available for rent at four
student campus facilities. The bicycles were borrowed by students more than 17,000 times in 2017. Therefore, the
“I’Velo” program offers 1,320 bicycles for rent in eight cities with 24 bike sharing centers. In 2017, the initiative
recorded over 196,000 bicycle rentals.