516 2019 Universal registration document and annual financial report - BNP PARIBAS

7 a Committed Bank: information ConCerninG the eConomiC, soCial, CiviC and environmental resPonsiBility of BnP PariBas

7

Our strategy

Climate Week NYC 2019 saw the official launch of the Principles for Responsible Banking, founded in 2018 by around 30 banks including BNP Paribas. More than 130 banks signed the Principles, thereby committing to an alignment of their business strategies with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement (see Investments and financing with a positive impact, Commitment 1).

Commitments specific to the environment

Amongst BNP Paribas environmental commitments:

■ the Montréal Carbon Pledge;

■ the Portfolio Decarbonisation Coalition;

■ the Banking Environment Initiative (BEI) and its Soft Commodities Compact;

■ the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change;

■ the Transition Pathway Initiative;

■ the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO);

■ the Science Based Target initiative;

■ the Breakthrough Energy Coalition;

■ the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD);

■ the Katowice Agreement;

■ the Act4nature initiative;

■ the Afep s commitments to the circular economy;

■ Medef s Business Climate Pledge.

On 26 June, BNP Paribas signed the Charter for Engagement: Taking the Lead for Inclusion: Women Leading Climate Action alongside other members of the Women s Forum Women & Climate Daring Circle. The Charter has been presented to the Japanese Government, Heads of State and G20 member governments.

Another BNP Paribas flagship move in 2019 was to sign up to the Collective Commitment to Climate Action, thereby committing itself to aligning its loan portfolio to reflect and finance a low- carbon economy, and maintain global warming at a level considerably below 2°C, and closer to 1.5°C.

Commitments to a more inclusive society

BNP Paribas is also supporting other key initiatives which bring together both public and private international stakeholders.

In 2019, some 20 companies joined the Collectif des entreprises en faveur d'une économie plus inclusive en France (Business collective for a more inclusive economy in France), a voluntary initiative set up in December 2018 by a group of 13 companies, including BNP Paribas, looking to use their economic power for social and societal progress. This collective, which currently represents almost 1.4 million employees in more than 54,000 locations across France, is stepping up its commitments and actions, particularly in the area of employment. It is also leading the way with new thinking around procurement and access to more inclusive products and services.

Also in 2019, the Group became a founding member of Business for Inclusive Growth (B4IG), an OECD-supported initiative which was launched as part of the G7. The purpose of the Coalition is to transform the role of businesses within the economy in order to reduce inequality (see Investments and financing with a positive impact, Commitment 1).

Voluntary commitments defined by BNP Paribas

BNP Paribas has been committed for several years to going further in several sensitive sectors by setting itself additional obligations, through:

■ the BNP Paribas commitments for the environment defining the Group s strategy concerning these challenges;

■ financing and investment policies in the following sectors: agriculture, palm oil, defence, nuclear energy, paper pulp, coal energy, mining and non-conventional hydrocarbons;

■ a list of excluded goods and activities such as tobacco, drift nets, the production of asbestos fibres, products containing PCBs, or the trading of any species regulated by the CITES convention (Convention on international trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora) without the necessary authorisation;

■ monitoring and exclusion lists grouping businesses which do not meet the Group s CSR requirements;

■ a Statement of BNP Paribas on human rights;

■ an Anti-Corruption Policy;

■ a Charter for responsible representation with respect to the public authorities;

■ a CSR Charter for BNP Paribas suppliers;

■ The BNP Paribas Responsible Business Principles.

BNP Paribas used Climate Week NYC as an opportunity to take a formal position in support of SDG 14: Life Below Water . It also announced new measures to protect the oceans (see Helping to protect biodiversity and the oceans in Enabling our clients to transition to a low-carbon economy respectful of the environment, Commitment 10).

Think tanks

BNP Paribas is also a member of several think tanks on CSR issues, including:

■ Entreprises Pour l Environnement (EpE);

■ the French Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI);

■ World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD);

■ Businesses for Human Rights (Entreprises pour les Droits de l Homme, EDH);

■ the Thun Group;

■ the French National Institute for Circular Economy (INEC).