Romerike Sparebank has become an official Signatory of the UN Principles for Responsible Banking – a single framework for a sustainable banking industry developed through an innovative partnership between banks worldwide and United Nations Environment’s Finance Initiative.
The Principles for Responsible Banking set out the banking industry’s role and responsibility in shaping a sustainable future and in aligning the banking sector with the objectives of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. They also, importantly, enable a bank to embed sustainability across all its business areas, and to identify where it has the potential to make the most impact in its contributions to a sustainable world. They also position a bank to leverage new business opportunities with the emergence of the sustainable development economy.
Siri Berggreen, CEO of LillestrømBanken: We are proudly committed to implementing the UNEP FI Principles for Responsible Banking. Ever since our bank was founded in 1887, we have fostered a strong culture of social commitment to our local community. We support our community by sharing our profits, in order to continuously strive for the advancement of Lillestrøm and the surrounding areas. The objectives of sustainability and the ESG criteria framework are, to a high extent, comparable to the main objectives of a local savings bank. In this regard, I would like to emphasize a few examples of the bank’s initiatives during the past year: We have donated grants for innovative and sustainable start-ups in three rounds; in cooperation with the municipality of Lillestrøm, we have established a fund for promoting green business initiatives; and, for the fifth consecutive year, we have provided numerous donations worth 3 MNOK to local teams and organizations. This week, we have also launched green mortgages, with the purpose of incentivizing homeowners to invest in more energy-efficient housing.
Through becoming a signatory of the UNEP FI Principles for Responsible Banking, Romerike Sparebank wishes to extend its local commitment by shaping a sustainable future. Furthermore, we wish to inspire our customers, partners and other stakeholders to also contribute towards achieving a more sustainable future.
Lillestrøm, 27. november 2020