2020 Universal registration document and annual financial report - BNP PARIBAS 605
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A COMMITTED BANK: INFORMATION CONCERNING THE ECONOMIC, SOCIAL, CIVIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY OF BNP PARIBAS
Our environmental responsibility: accelerating the ecological and energy transition
COMMITMENT 12: ADVANCE AWARENESS AND SHARING OF BEST ENVIRONMENTAL PRACTICES
In addition to its commitments to support its customers in the energy and environmental transition (Commitment 10) and to minimise its direct environmental footprint (Commitment 11), BNP Paribas is actively involved in the public debate on these issues, helping to improve and disseminate knowledge and best environmental practice within civil society.
SUPPORTING RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND BIODIVERSITY
Supporting innovative start-ups in the energy and ecological transition
The energy transition also involves developing innovative technologies. To support it, the Group committed at the end of 2015 to invest, with its own funds, in young innovative companies in the energy transition sector and to support them in their growth.
To this end, a venture capital team has been set up dedicated to the energy transition. Four and a half years after the first investment, BNP Paribas invested in 10 start-ups and three funds on topics such as energy efficiency, energy storage, sustainable mobility, etc.
Even though the Covid-19 crisis has made it difficult to raise capital for start-ups, BNP Paribas has proven to be a solid partner by supporting five of the start-ups in its portfolio via complementary investments. This has enabled these companies to continue to grow and innovate in support of the energy transition and the fight against climate change.
In 2021, BNP Paribas is expanding its ambitions and broadening the scope of these investments beyond the energy transition, to include the challenges of the ecological transition. In addition to its investments in energy transition start-ups, the Group will be able to support innovation in areas such as biodiversity, sustainable food and the circular economy.
In addition, as part of its support for innovation, the retail bank regularly invests in the capital of start-ups in France, some of which have a positive impact on the energy or ecological transition. In 2020, for example, the Group invested in BeFC, a start-up manufacturing bio-enzymatic fuel cells to replace button cell batteries, based in France.
The Group also supports the growth of start-ups involved in the energy and environmental transition through IPO capital increases by introducing them the stock market. In 2020, Portzamparc BNP Paribas, a specialised subsidiary, supported several companies in the sector: for Metabolic Explorer, the capital increase enabled it to continue its growth in the development of processes for biochemical compounds, as an alternative to petrochemicals. For Ecomiam, this is the IPO of this young company specialising in frozen food based on short circuits, in France.
Supporting research and development on climate change
The BNP Paribas Foundation supports scientific research programmes in the fields of climate change and biodiversity. Two corporate philanthropy programmes benefit from this in particular:
■ launched in 2010 by the BNP Paribas Foundation, the Climate & Biodiversity Initiative has already supported 27 research projects led by researchers, professors and engineers, totalling EUR 18 million. In 2020, the BNP Paribas Foundation supported the HUM-ANI project aimed at understanding the impact of climate change on the emergence of infectious diseases. It also showcased the 9 winning projects of its fourth call for projects launched in 2019, focusing on various issues linked to the interactions between climate and biodiversity, such as the impact of melting glaciers on global biodiversity, the resilience of coastal ecosystems to extreme weather events, and the reforestation of disturbed ecosystems;
■ in 2020, BNP Paribas maintained its commitment to the One Planet Fellowship programme. With a five-year grant of USD 15 million, this philanthropy programme is supported by the BNP Paribas and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundations, the European Commission and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC, Canada). It is run by AWARD (ICRAF, Kenya) and the Agropolis Foundation. Its ambition is to form an intergenerational network of researchers, future leaders in the fight against and adaptation to climate change in Africa. The second call for applications for the One Planet Fellowship was launched in November 2019 and closed on 31 March 2020. A total of 903 applications from 14 African countries were received. Eligible countries were: Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo and Zambia.
RAISING AWARENESS AMONG INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS BNP Paribas believes that the energy and ecological transition can only succeed if all stakeholders (businesses, public authorities, associations, citizens/consumers) work together to bring about change. The Group therefore discusses these issues with all its stakeholders and participates in the joint awareness-raising and training effort.
Employees, the Group s best climate and biodiversity ambassadors
In 2020, the Group launched We Engage , an awareness-raising programme for BNP Paribas' 200,000 employees worldwide dedicated to sustainable finance and current environmental and social issues. Intended to present and explain the existing solutions to develop the activity of the businesses, thanks to products and services with positive impact, this training consists of a mini-series composed of six modules showcased between 2020 and 2021. Each consists of a video presentation and a questionnaire. This programme makes it possible to develop the ability to support customers towards a low-carbon economy and greater
