Introduction of environmentally friendly solutions

• popularity of contactless payments via a phone reduces the need to issue plastic cards;
• limits for bottled mineral water, plastic cup and stirrer orders. Water treatment purifiers have been installed in the Bank’s Head Office.
• based on the average number of shipments sent out, a limit for secure plastic envelope orders was set for each of the Bank’s organizational units.

Reuse of resources allows the Bank to reduce the purchased quantities of furnishings (desk chairs), own devices (shredders and bill counters) and consumable materials (e.g. toners, hangers, inking ribbons).

The IT system supports verification of each order in terms of legitimacy of its purchase and defined limit, which contributes to a reduced consumption of resources.

• the quantity of paper ordered to print cash and treasury transactions is controlled on an ongoing basis, based on monthly cash transaction reports;
• through automation of the ATM settlement process, the related documents no longer have to be printed out.

• Paper consumption is reduced through verification of the consistency of orders for marketing materials with the pre-agreed limits and through coordinated distribution of materials related to advertising campaigns.

functionality, which limits the quantity of unnecessary printouts. A document is stored on a server and printed only when an Employee logs into a specific device and executes a print command.

• by introducing IT systems for processing internal documents, the circulation of most paper documents has been eliminated in the Bank;
• processing client documentation (e.g. loan applications) is based on electronic copies of documents;
• corporate clients may deliver and authorize the documents, which are required from them on an ongoing basis, by uploading the scanned document into the internet banking system.

• Information materials (price lists, regulations) are not presented on displays in branches but rather printed upon a client’s request and as a mandatory element of contracts signed with a client;
• TV displays are installed in the outlets, which drives the reduction of paper-based marketing materials (posters, flyers);
• some documents are posted on the Bank’s website, which makes them directly accessible to the clients;
• clients are encouraged to order on-line statements – 75% of clients have chosen to do so;
• a client purchasing a bundle of banking services may sign a single consolidated agreement instead of several separate agreements for each product. Additionally it is possible to receive a consolidated statement containing information on all products held in the Bank;
• access to e-administration. Official applications may now be filed through the electronic banking facility, which reduces the consumption of paper.

• retail clients may apply for credit and savings products using remote channels where paper documentation does not exist at all. In this process, an agreement is approved by the SMS P@ssword and its wording is available in the system, so it does not need to be printed out;
• corporate clients are encouraged to apply for loans and payment cards through the web banking system, in which the entire documentation is uploaded remotely. They also may provide the Bank with the electronic versions of documents required in the credit process.

• paper posters replaced by an image wall with graphics;
• one information sticker on the door, instead of several;
• permanent marking of ATM’s/deposit ATMs instead of non-durable stickers.

 75%

of clients use on-line statements

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On-line bank statements	2016	2015	2014	2013	2012
Number and % of clients	1 390 750 (75%)	1 141 113 (68%)	950 789 (62%)	779 399 (54%)	670 693 (47%)

• replacement of light sources in external advertising panels of the branches, from traditional fluorescent lamps to energy-saving LED light sources;
• limited operation of external advertising panels (they are turned off at midnight);
• energy-efficient light sources in new or upgraded branches.

100%
branches
with LED lightening

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Energy savings in branches	2016	2015	2014	2013	2012
Branches with LED lighting	369 (100%)	410 (99%)	316 (74%)	233 (53%)	100 (22%)
Branches with panels turned off at midnight	312 (84%)*	363 (87%)*	377 (89%)*	395 (90%)	349 (78%)
Energy-saving sources of light in branches	72 (19%)	49 (12%)	27 (6%)	16 (4%)	8 (2%)

*the remaining panels are lit up for the entire opening time of the shopping malls in which they are located

[GRI 302-4]

• LED lighting in halls and garage parts (60%);
• energy recovery ventilation in air handling units;
• fancoils switched to an economic mode at night;
• silent operation of the central heating unit at night;
• light turned off on a temporary basis after 6 p.m.;
• rainwater collection and use system;
• BREEAM certificate for environmentally-friendly buildings.

is a continuous process. Based on the financial data, a ranking of energy recipient by its consumption is prepared. Branches with the highest energy consumption rates are controlled and recommendations for building administrator companies are implemented. Similarly, in the event of high utility bills it is verified whether the consumption is correct and whether or not any devices or installations have broken down.

• the Head Office and the Bank’s branches have implemented the recommendations that regulate the operation of air-conditioning, ventilation and heating devices depending on seasons and daily distributions. The purpose of the recommendations is to limit the consumption of electricity to the period of the working hours. The turn-off methodology also prevents a simultaneous operation of heating and cooling devices;
• reduction of temperature in rooms with continuous power supply devices from 21 to 18 degrees Centigrade;
• virtualization of servers has made is possible to reduce the number of physical hardware in the computer center, which drove down energy consumption for power supply and air conditioning;
• regular replacement of computer hardware with newer hardware offering lower power consumption (in 2016 the Bank replaced 1000 desktop PCs and 400 laptop computers);
• stickers have been introduced for monitors containing a reminder to turn off the computer monitor after the work is complete;
• the evening working time of cleaning crews was reduced from 6 to 4 hours, as a result of which the lights in the Bank’s head office buildings may now be switched off earlier;
• reduction of contracted power supplied to the branches from 25kW to 20kW.

The processes in the internet and mobile banking system are designed to take as little time as possible and involve the least amount of formalities. The agreements are signed with an SMS password signature, which saves paper and energy (by reducing the time of work with the computer or the phone).

• installation of water perlators in toilets and kitchens;
• setting the minimum water usage level in toilet flush tanks.

Company cars with the highest standards of exhaust emissions are gradually replaced by ones that are less harmful for the environment. The Bank’s car fleet only has cars compliant with the Euro 5 standards.

In order to minimize business travel, limits are used for respective types of transportation and remote communication methods are used, such as: e-learning courses, teleconferencing and videoconferencing. About 700 video conference calls were held in 2016.