61
Raiffeisen Bank International | Sustainability Report 2018
Management Overview Foreword
of sustainability
Responsible
banker
Fair partner –
Human Resources
Fair partner –
Inhouse ecology
Engaged
citizen
GRI index and
Assurance report
Sustainable financing
We describe financing as being “sustainable”
when it has long-term positive effects on the
environment and climate and/or on societal and
social affairs. With a majority of these financing
projects, we support targets as stipulated in the “Sustainable Development Goals” (SDGs) within the scope of
our capabilities as a financial institution. Particular focus is placed on the following efforts: “Promote sustained,
inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all” (SDG
8), “Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation”
(SDG 9), “Assuring inclusive, equitable and high-quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities
for all” (SDG 4), “Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and contemporary energy for all” (SDG 7)
and “Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts” (SDG 13).
Sustainable financing at the Vienna sites
(By RBI AG, unless otherwise specified)
Positive impacts on the environment and on the climate
• Renewable energy
The total volume of financing by RBI AG in the category of “renewable energy” as of the end of
2018 amounted to around € 152 million. This included two biomass-fueled thermal power plants
in Austria and Romania, a small hydroelectric plant in Austria, two solar parks in Western Europe,
and wind farms and wind portfolios in Austria, Germany, France, Poland, Bulgaria, and Turkey.
Although there is still a significant need for renewable energy in RBI’s markets in Central and Eastern Europe,
an increase in the share of renewable energy is dependent on government-imposed conditions in many markets.
Most new projects can be implemented only with the help of guaranteed feed-in rates. When it comes to
financing, the bank is responsible for carefully examining the operational security of a project in order to keep
the risk low. The reliability of political players plays an important role but is not sufficiently ensured in all regions.
This is why we have adopted a rule whereby we concentrate only on those projects whose feasibility is not
dependent on special grants or feed-in remuneration.
• Energy efficiency
With the financing of the construction of an office building with the highest green building certificate and the
modernization of the branches of a food retailer, a valuable overall contribution to increased energy efficiency
could be made.
• Sustainable mobility:
We provided investment financing totaling € 44 million for the renewal and expansion of bus fleets for regional
transportation with particularly clean engines (EURO 6 emissions standard) and special soot particle filters.
This helped to reduce emissions while also cutting noise and reducing individual traffic. An electric vehicle
production site in Hungary was financed in the amount of € 63 million.
Raiffeisen-Leasing again expanded its market leadership in the financing of vehicles with alternative drives in
2018. As of December 31, 2018, its portfolio included financing of around € 55.1 million for fully electric
vehicles. The contract awarded by Österreichische Bundesbeschaffung GmbH (BBG) in 2017 is already
being substantially realized. In 2018, many vehicles with alternative drives were purchased and financed via
BBG. The “e-pendler in niederösterreich” model region was recognized by the Federal Ministry of Sustainability