Center-invest Bank was an official partner for Russia’s Earth Hour 2019, organised by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) with the support of the Environment Ministry and the Moscow government. This was the eleventh year that Russia had participated in the event.
Earth Hour is an international event during which the WWF encourages people to switch off their lights and electrical appliances for one hour as a sign that they care about the future of the planet. Individuals and businesses are urged to think about their responsibility for the planet and how they can help to protect the environment and tackle global environmental problems.
Earth Hour 2019 was held on 30 March from 20:30 to 21:30 local time. For one hour the external lights and roof advertising were switched off in Center-invest Bank offices and branches. The Bank has taken part in Earth Hour for the last three years.
Center-invest Bank shares the WWF’s values regarding environmental conservation and protection. "Despite our steady business growth, the bank is continually reducing its energy consumption," says Sergei Smirnov, chairman of Center-invest Bank’s Executive Board. "It also contributes to environmental protection in Russia by helping its customers to introduce energy saving technologies. We have invested over RUB16.5 billion in 20,000 customer projects."
The projects financed by the bank have reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 194,000 tonnes a year, equivalent to the emissions from 113,500 light vehicles or 554,500 barrels of oil.
The bank’s employees participate in annual bicycle parades and they travel to work by bike. They also take part in regional eco-festivals.
In 2018, at the XVI Russian Bond Congress in St Petersburg, Center-invest Bank received an award for successfully initiating and helping to develop a green loans market in Russia. The award was presented by the National Association of Concessionaires and Long-Term Investors in Infrastructure (NAKDI) and the CBonds group. Also in 2018, Vigeo Eiris ranked us 17th out of 76 European banks applying environmental, social and governance (ESG) models.