2020 Universal registration document and annual financial report - BNP PARIBAS606
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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
social justice. Several tens of thousands of employees have already followed the three modules already showcased.
This desire to prepare employees to support customers in the ecological and energy transition is also reflected in local initiatives, such as in Poland, where the The Bank of Green Changes Programme awareness campaign was held for the second time in April 2020, addressing various themes around responsible consumption and the promotion of a sustainable lifestyle. This campaign will be continued in 2021.
Another way to acculturate teams, the Climate Collage, a game in the form of collaborative workshops to acquire a systemic vision of climate change issues and their consequences, continues to be deployed. Although this was slowed down in 2020 by the health crisis, this awareness campaign has already started in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Portugal and Brazil.
The creation of editorial content dedicated to the ecological transition
BNP Paribas also works with mainstream media concerned about environmental issues, in particular to create editorial content dedicated to the ecological transition. So Good magazine produced a special edition for and with BNP Paribas dedicated to the circular economy. The aim is to provide a simple, educational communication tool to raise awareness among Group employees and customers of the challenges of circular economy and BNP Paribas action levers in this area.
The Group also supports the magazine L ADN; it took part in the Trends 2021 issue, for the section dedicated to financing the ecological transition.
Raising client awareness through high-level presentations
BNP Paribas frequently organises targeted meetings with its clients on the energy and ecological transition. In 2020, the pandemic naturally limited the organisation of such events, and several were postponed until 2021. However, Covid did not prevent many from being carried out, mainly virtually, in around fifteen European countries, bringing together around 1,000 clients (companies and investors), Group stakeholders, client representatives or other experts and personalities.
In addition, in Singapore, the 5th edition of the SFF (Sustainable Finance Forum), carried out in virtual form, brought together 270 clients to discuss biodiversity and natural capital.
Conferences to publicise research funded by the BNP Paribas Foundation
As well as funding research, the Climate & Biodiversity Initiative programme of the BNP Paribas Foundation is intent on promoting widespread awareness of the research projects it supports. Since 2010, numerous conferences, exhibitions and other public events have been organised to heighten awareness of these issues among employees and the general public.
Thus, in 2020, the exhibition Climate, the 360° Expo , designed by the Cité des Sciences, in partnership with the French Institute and UN Environment, was presented to clients of the Retail Banking branch network in Ile-de-France. Following on from this initial support for creation, the BNP Paribas Foundation has renewed its partnership with the Cité des Sciences so that the exhibition Bio-Inspired: a different approach , around biomimicry, will be offered starting on 18 September 2020 and for the next five years.
In addition, despite the restrictive health context in 2020, the Foundation was able to organise two fully virtual conferences which brought together nearly 400 participants: 300 employees in 14 different countries and from 20 Group entities took part in a conference on forest ecosystems. The Foundation also organised a round table at ADMICAL s Mécènes Forum 2020 (network and information centre for all philanthropists in France), entitled: Climate change and the erosion of biodiversity, why support research?
Sharing our expertise via public reports and presentations
BNP Paribas experts conduct research on market developments, particularly in relation to the energy transition, which lead them to participate in public panels or through studies. In 2020, Mark Lewis, Head of ESG Research at BNP Paribas Asset Management, published a study Deep Decarbonisation: Green Hydrogen, Net Zero and the Future of the EU ETS analysing the trajectory to achieve carbon neutrality, and the need to use green hydrogen to achieve this objective. It thus shows the key role that the emissions trading system and therefore the carbon cost will play in the competitiveness of green hydrogen and its development.
TAKING AN ACTIVE PART IN PARTNERSHIPS AND COLLECTIVE INITIATIVES
Participation in the work of Entreprises pour l Environnement (EPE)
Jean-Laurent Bonnafé, Director and CEO of BNP Paribas, has been Chairman of the association EpE (Entreprises pour l Environnement) since 2019. In this role, he has been able to showcase and promote EpE s actions and reports in his public statements. On 1 October 2020, he introduced an event organised by EpE dedicated to the action of companies to preserve biodiversity, at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris.
Public position promoting the ecological transition and a green recovery
BNP Paribas is convinced of the importance of collectively achieving the global objectives of combating climate change and preserving biodiversity, as well as, more generally, the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Group, and its representatives, regularly take a public stand in this regard.
