2018 Registration document and annual fi nancial report - BNP PARIBAS516

7 A COMMITTED BANK: INFORMATION CONCERNING THE ECONOMIC, SOCIAL, CIVIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY OF BNP PARIBAS

7

Our strategy

It is based on a network created in 2012, which operates in the divisions, business lines, networks, departments and subsidiaries in order to facilitate the roll-out of the CSR policy across the whole Group. In total, over 130 people spend all or a majority of their time on CSR matters within BNP Paribas. They can also call upon the expertise of nearly 300 contributors on specifi c topics such as direct environmental impacts, microfi nance and fi nancing and investment policies.

More generally, the Group s Executive Committee regularly decides on CSR topics and the Board of directors is given a presentation on the CSR strategy at least once a year. Finally, a member of the Executive Committee is responsible for CSR in each entity to ensure that CSR is integrated into the entity s strategy.

FOSTERING DIALOGUE WITH STAKEHOLDERS Dialogue with stakeholders is at the heart of BNP Paribas actions to promote social and environmental responsibility. This dialogue has a three-fold objective: anticipating change in our businesses developments and improving our products and services, optimising risk management, and fi nding innovative solutions which positively impact society.

■ The steps to foster dialogue with employees or staff representatives are described in the social pillar of this document (see Global People Survey, Commitments 4 and 5). Employees may use the c ompany s whistleblowing system (see The whistleblowing system, Commitment 2).

■ Individual customers and small business clients of all BNP Paribas retail entities have access to a complaints procedure. Numerous entities provide their clients with the opportunity to use an independent ombudsman.

■ Within the framework of its asset management activities, BNP Paribas Asset Management engages with companies in which the entity invests on ESG (Environmental. Social and Governance issues) themes to preserve and enhance the medium and long term value of the investments made on behalf of its clients. In 2018, discussions concerned climate change and energy transition, corporate governance, natural capital and human rights. BNP Paribas Asset Management supports the ESG commitments of these companies

through its voting rights policy (see Inclusion of ESG criteria in assets under management, Commitment 3).

■ BNP Paribas provides its suppliers with a redress procedure in the event of diffi culties: all suppliers may refer issues to a mediator internal to the Group, but independent of the Procurement Department, in accordance with the Group s CSR Charter for Suppliers (online on www.group.bnpparibas.com). 24 cases were referred to the internal mediator in 2018, the majority of them concerning terms of payment .

■ BNP Paribas presents its CSR strategy several times a year to Socially Responsible Investors (SRI) and regularly informs extra-fi nancial analysts of the strategy. In 2018, BNP Paribas met 36 different SRI investors at least once in France, UK, Sweden, Denmark and Finland.

■ The Group has defi ned a policy and a management process for its relations with advocacy NGOs, in order to ensure a constructive, coordinated and productive dialogue with them. In 2018, BNP Paribas had 89 different exchanges with NGOs.

■ With regard to regulatory organisations, governments and parliamentarians, in November 2012, BNP Paribas adopted a Charter for responsible representation vis-à-vis the public authorities , which was approved in 2015 by the Board of directors. In 2017, BNP Paribas was included in the digital register of lobbyists, managed by the Haute Autorité pour la Transparence de la Vie Publique (HATVP, High Authority for Transparency in Public Life). BNP Paribas is also a signatory of the joint declaration on lobbying of member companies of Transparency International France. The dedicated website of its Public Affairs France Department details its work in the area of responsible representation (www.economieetentreprises.bnpparibas/fr/). The Group s public positions concerning banking and financial regulations are also available on its website (https://group.bnpparibas/en/key-public- positions-banking-fi nancial-regulation).

The mapping of our stakeholders and the dialogue with each of them are detailed in the document Objectives and methods of the dialogue between BNP Paribas and its stakeholders , which is available under the CSR section of the institutional website (www.group.bnpparibas/ organisation-gouvernance). A mater iality matrix presenting the most important issues for the Group s internal and external stakeholders is also available at the end of chapter 7.