ING transforms the corporate social responsibility department, formed in 2012, into one of Sustainability, to facilitate the transition to a green economy and the development of partnerships with civil society. In these ten years, together with NGO partners, ING has invested over 8 million euros in the community, in social and financial health projects.
The new ING Sustainability department also comes with a board made up of 11 experts from different business areas in the bank. The Sustainability Board works directly with partners in non-governmental organizations and aims to increase the involvement of the entire organization in projects for a sustainable future.
“The concern to turn ING into a bank for sustainability began a decade ago. Thus, the official transition to a dedicated department is not only a name change, but also an important milestone that we have reached, but also the beginning of a new path with ambitious sustainability goals. We already have a solid foundation, demonstrated by green financing in the Wholesale Banking segment, the constant launch of green initiatives for employees and customers, as well as various projects that reduce the bank’s carbon footprint. The new structure comes organically after we have developed an internal framework so that more and more colleagues can incorporate the principles of sustainability in their daily work. In the end, this is how we want to build a healthy economy, with care for the environment and our customers” – explained Alexandra Maier, Sustainability Manager of ING Bank Romania.
Locally and globally, ING has become one of the most valued socially involved companies. According to the ranking made by the research company Corporate Knights in January 2022, ING is in the 61st place in the top of the 100 most sustainable corporations in the world, out of almost 7000 analyzed.
Volunteering is continuously promoted within ING Bank Romania. In the context of the pandemic, when most of the actions and events moved to the online environment, volunteering continued in the bank. More than 100 ING employees have chosen to donate more than 1,600 hours of their time to digital volunteering in 2021.
Some of the most important volunteer programs in ING in 2021 were:
- The Sustainability Boost Program was one of the most successful programs involving ING volunteers, as it led to the design and launch of the first green low-interest loan for individuals, for the purchase of electric cars or hybrid plug-ins.
- Adopt a Project is, since 2013, the traditional grant program through which ING Bank supports non-profit organizations and involves employees in social causes. To date, ING has supported 57 projects, with total funding of over 1.2 million euros and hundreds of hours of employee volunteering.
- Sanitarium RE: BUILD was a program designed to support pandemic entrepreneurs at the beginning of their journey. Thus, 100 entrepreneurs benefited from consulting and mentoring, and 50 accessed subsidized services totaling 150,000 euros.
- Mentoring and meditation programs were continued in 2021 with the winners of the Adopt a Project grants. ING volunteers were with 38 high school students who needed guidance in bridging the gaps in learning and exploring options for a future career.
- Swimathon is a program in which ING volunteers participate annually, physically or virtually. Last year, 47 ING volunteers raised 14,000 euros during the campaign, and the money was directed to the winners of the Adopt a 2020 project.
- Civic Labs and digital solutions to social problems. Civiclabs is the place where digital solutions are developed for current problems in Romanian society: education, health, environment, vulnerable groups, and civic participation. ING volunteers are regularly involved as volunteers in the development of solutions designed in Civiclabs.
Source: Bank`s press release from February 3, 2022
