5672019 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 environmental responsibility: accelerating the ecological and energy transition
■ In 2019, 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. In 2019, the One Planet Fellowship launched two calls for applications for up- and-coming researchers specialising in this area. In total, 45 winners from 12 African countries were chosen in the first of these calls for projects in 2019. 14 countries are now eligible: Morocco, Algeria (both added this year), Benin, Burkina Faso, Tanzania, Togo, Zambia, Nigeria, Mali, Malawi, Senegal, Kenya, Ethiopia and Republic of Ivory Coast.
Overall, the BNP Paribas Foundation supported more than 250 researchers in 2019 through the Climate & Biodiversity Initiative and One Planet Fellowship programmes.
RAISING AWARENESS AMONG INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS BNP Paribas believes that the energy and ecological transition can only succeed if all stakeholders (businesses, government, associations, citizens/consumers) work together to bring about change. Therefore, the Group has entered into discussions on these issues with all its stakeholders and is contributing to the joint awareness-raising and training effort.
Employees, the Group s best climate and biodiversity ambassadors
The Climate Collage, a climate change awareness-raising game in the form of collective intelligence workshops, is now being rolled out across the various Group entities. The aim of the game is to provide a systemic view of the issues around climate change and their consequences. Some entities, such as BNP Paribas Fortis, have also decided to use the game as a means of broaching these subjects with their clients, while others use it internally to improve employee awareness. The Climate Collage will continue to be rolled out in 2020, accompanied by a kit which outlines the Group s position on the issue and its proposed solutions.
In addition, some of the Group s subsidiaries organise team-building activities around tree planting for their employees. In 2019, nearly 4,000 trees were planted by BNP Paribas Personal Finance employees: more than 1,500 trees with the Plantam Fapte Bune association in Romania, the first 1,750 orange and pomegranate trees of a long-term operation in Sicily by Findomestic, and 460 pines in Ocoyoacac, on the outskirts of Mexico City.
Raising client awareness through high-level presentations
BNP Paribas increasingly arranges specific meetings with its clients on the subject of the energy and environmental transition. In 2019, these types of events were held in 11 countries, bringing together 380 clients (companies and investors) to hear Group speakers, client representatives or other public figures, such as the Hungarian Secretary of State for Energy and Climate, at the event held in Budapest.
The Group also convened more than 500 clients in Singapore for its 4th Sustainable Finance Forum (SFF) in Asia. BNP Paribas Fortis invited 80 clients to attend a seminar in Oslo, a city that is leading the way in zero emissions. The motivation for this trip was to encourage clients to expedite the energy and ecological transition of their own business by showing them new technologies, such as carbon capture and the mass roll-out of electric vehicles.
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. Thus, since 2010, numerous conferences, exhibitions and other public events have been organised to heighten awareness of these issues among employees and the general public.
COP25: showcasing the Group s actions in the fight against climate change
Several representatives from BNP Paribas addressed COP25 in Madrid. These experts took part in some 40 events covering various topics, including Ocean conservation (one of the key themes of this COP), carbon neutrality, climate risk management, sustainable finance, the energy transition, and the EU taxonomy for activities that can be considered green .
The BNP Paribas Foundation supports the Global Youth Video Competition, a UNFCCC initiative aimed at young people engaged in the fight against climate change. This year, the awards presentation for the fifth competition took place at COP25. Entries were received from 114 different countries, with 404 short films submitted by young people between the ages of 18 and 30. The judges shortlisted 20 films in each category. These were then uploaded to YouTube to be voted on by the public, with the 60 shortlisted films being watched more than 500,000 times.
Broadcasting our expertise via public reports and presentations
Our experts conduct research into changing markets, particularly in relation to the energy transition. In 2019, Mark Lewis, Global Head of Sustainability Research at BNP Paribas Asset Management, published a study ( Wells, Wires, and Wheels EROCI and the Tough Road Ahead for Oil ). This looked at the transport sector and compared the oil industry and internal combustion engine vehicles with renewable energy and electric vehicles. The study shows that oil needs a break-even point of USD 10-20 per barrel over the long term to remain competitive in the automotive sector.
