Sustainable when needed

Caixa Geral de Depósitos is the leader of the largest Portuguese financial group and therefore has added responsibility towards the society which it is a part of. It meets the challenges facing it by making decisions based on a criterion of ethics and economic rationality, thereby contributing to a more balanced society and Portugal’s sustained economic development.

In its business activity CGD seeks to achieve a balance between solidity, profitability and growth, always within a framework of prudent risk management, good governance and a high sense of social responsibility, in order to foster sustainability.

Integrity, trust, transparency and ethics are values present in all CGD actions. They foster excellence of service, citizenship, inclusion and equal opportunities. CGD’s sustainable development is based on four essential pillars ensuring that it is economically profitable, financially viable, socially fair and environmentally correct.

When implementing its strategy in the different fields of sustainability, CGD has been playing a dynamic role in the creation and sponsorship of distinctive, innovative projects and in the promotion and support of enterprising initiatives by different spheres aimed at integration and the creation of added value for all its stakeholders.

Environment
CGD considers the environment to be a decisive factor in the creation of value and the sustainability of its business. CGD’s strategy for climate change, the Caixa Carbono Zero Programme (Caixa Zero Carbon Programme), is designed to reduce the environmental impact of its activities and instill good practices in its stakeholders.

Community
The commitment to the community is based on playing an active role to meet society’s real needs. Social responsibility is one of the strategic aspects of the intervention.

Microcredit
Microcredit for people wishing to set up their own businesses has resulted in some real success stories and comes from CGD’s support over time of more disadvantaged sectors of the population.

Solidarity
By promoting best practices in its response to the challenges of Portuguese society, CGD directly sponsors charitable and volunteer initiatives and institutions.

Culture
CGD plays a crucial role in promoting different forms of art and providing society with access to cultural events.

Education, financial literacy
CGD’s assistance is constant and innovative and covers a wide variety of areas and information requirements of the general public. It contributes to more financially responsible behaviour and a more prosperous and knowledgeable society.

CGD’s business activity is oriented by the strategic vision established by the Board of Directors. One of its fundamental aspects is a human resource policy based on the company’s culture and values, knowledge, communication, performance and talent management always within the framework of a harmonious work relationship.

Another essential aspect is cultural and social development and the promotion of sustainability, as an internal policy, along with a will to be a national benchmark for good governance and ethical conduct.

The commitment to the community is based on an unshakable defence of the principles of ethics and transparency, respect for the rules governing banking activity, compliance with codes of conduct and good ongoing practices, committed support for social and cultural activities and a response to society’s pressing needs.

This active role in the community makes CGD a social bank that favours the creation of value. In particular, it provides staunch support for social organisations. The Caixa Fã Fund (Caixa Fan Fund) supports structural projects by institutions with credibility and the capacity to successfully execute projects.
Where social issues are concerned, CGD also grants microcredit to people who wish to create their own jobs or set up a small business and who are unable to obtain or have difficult access to ordinary bank loans, resulting in some hugely successful stories.

With regard to culture, CGD plays an unequivocal role as a patron of painting, music, dance, theatre, literature, art and the Portuguese language in Portugal and the rest of the world. The work of CGD, Culturgest Foundation is a fundamental pillar in CGD sponsorship of and involvement in Portuguese cultural life in the service of the Portuguese public and foreign artists and performers. CGD also considers design to be a major agent of change and progress, a catalyst of creativity and a promoter of Portuguese talent.

Sustainability is a strategic priority for CGD. It is accepted at the highest management level and applied throughout the institution. Multidisciplinary teams implement a Sustainability Programme in line with best international practices, the country’s social, economic and environmental challenges and innovation, differentiation and competitiveness, thereby helping CGD to take the lead in sustainable financial activity in Portugal.

Where the environment is concerned, the Caixa Carbono Zero Programme is CGD’s strategy for climate change and the Floresta Caixa Project (Caixa Forest Project) constitutes a contribution towards the preservation of Portuguese native woodland. In this area, CGD and the United Nations Environment Programme-Finance Initiative have the Banca & Ambiente Project (Banking & Environment Project) aimed at keeping banks and the business sector informed on environmental risks.

CGD is also involved in the Carbon Disclosure Project, an initiative that plays a crucial role in the dissemination of information on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and strategies for fighting climate change of countless institutional investors all over the world.

In the business area, CGD offers financial products that make a positive contribution to the environmental impact of business activities and help to encourage generally more responsible behaviour. Some of these examples have to do with an increase in Renewable Energy products and a number of lines of credit for small and medium-sized enterprises, which has helped significantly in stimulating widespread entrepreneurship.

This activity on the part of CGD is also aided by the CGD Calculadora de Carbono (CGD Carbon Calculator) on www.cgd.pt, which provides information on everyone’s carbon footprint and shows how much carbon dioxide and other GHGs are associated with daily activities and the Nova Geração de Cientistas Polares Programme (New Generation of Polar Scientists Programme), which was the fruit of a partnership with the Portuguese International Polar Year Committee and represents a very important step forward in the promotion of polar science throughout Portugal.

Also in this area, pursuing its energy efficiency programme, CGD became the first bank in Portugal to generate “clean energy”, when it converted 10 percent of its branch network into microgeneration units using photovoltaic systems.

Caixa has cemented its commitment to sustainability by publishing its Sustainability Report. This publication describes the commitment, the responsible and active participation of Caixa Geral de Depósitos in the different facets of sustainability and the short, medium and long-term pledges that it has made in this field.