More than 15 years of certified environmental management at Bank Austria.
Generating value for the benefit of the community, our customers, employees, shareholders, and current and future generations: this is our mission and our identity.
For more than a decade, the ISO14001 environmental management system has enabled and facilitated us to take a structured approach to environmental challenges, make appropriate decisions and continuously improve our environmental performance. It also supports us in achieving our goals as part of the UniCredit Group's climate strategy and makes an important contribution to meeting the current reporting requirements under the CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive), according to which Bank Austria must report for the first time in 2025 for the year 2024.
While environmental management was something of a pioneer of sustainability at Bank Austria in the early years, it is now an important link and a key “supplier” to various areas of the bank that put ESG and sustainability into practice on a daily basis. From business units to communication and marketing.
Significant reduction in the bank's own issuances
Since the introduction of the Environmental Management System in 2011, Bank Austria's performance in all relevant environmental KPIs such as energy consumption, business travel kilometers, water and paper consumption, but also the amount of waste has improved significantly. Compared with the base year 2008, savings ranged from minus 84% to 92%, depending on the area. The chart above shows the reductions achieved since 2008 in emissions from the direct combustion of fossil fuels, the consumption of heating energy and electricity, paper purchases, waste generation, and employee business travel and commutes. The goal now is to maintain this level, continue making small adjustments, and thus reduce emissions as much as possible by 2030.
Not being satisfied with what has been achieved is also demonstrated by the current activities in the Real Estate division: In 2026 and the years ahead, the focus will be on gradually converting branches that are still heated with fossil fuels to more sustainable heating technologies such as district heating or geothermal energy.
And by participating in the klimaaktiv pact, initiated by the Ministry of Climate Protection and set to run through 2030, Bank Austria is sending an important message, working alongside other companies to help achieve Austria’s climate goals, and benefiting from ongoing dialogue with like-minded partners.
“In 2026 and the years ahead, the focus will be on gradually transitioning the 47 branches that are still heated with fossil fuels to more sustainable heating technologies, such as district heating and geothermal energy. Once this transition is completed, the resulting reduction in CO₂ emissions will be clearly reflected in our overall carbon footprint.
We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to all colleagues whose sustainable actions and responsible use of energy play a significant role in making this success possible.”
The headquarters at the Austria Campus plays an important role in reducing resource consumption and emissions:
- Since 2008, greenhouse gas emissions have been reduced by 90 %.
- We purchase 100 % electricity with the Austrian Ecolabel, which comes from renewable energy sources and is therefore CO2 neutral.
- We have been able to reduce our total energy consumption (Energy, Heating and Cooling) by 84 % since 2008
- Other successes in: Waste (down 91 %), toilet paper (down 92 %) and water (down 91 %), all figures are based on the base year 2008.
- Our privately built geothermal system provides essential support for both heating and cooling
Bank Austria’s active environmental management
To ensure a robust and sustainable environmental management system at Bank Austria, an Environmental Management Network has been established, holding monthly meetings to coordinate and drive the implementation of environmental initiatives across all areas of the bank. The appointment of a Steering Committee at Executive Board level, together with a direct reporting line to the CEO, underscores the importance we attach to this topic.
But how will this work in practice?
The international standard ISO 14001 is - apart from the EMAS regulation - the world’s most important guideline when it comes to what corporate environmental management should consist of. Following this standard, environmental protection is systematically entrenched into a company’s management.
Thanks to the commitment of our employees, over the last few years Bank Austria has continually improved its Environmental Management System, which is already ISO 14001-certified.
Our environmental policy also sets out the guidelines and broad objectives that guide us: Continuous reduction of our environmental impact; climate protection at the center of our efforts; compliance with legal requirements and voluntary commitments; promotion of environmental awareness among our employees; exchange with stakeholders in order to achieve goals together.
An excerpt from our environmental programme highlights several additional areas of focus
- Replacing fossil fuel-based heating systems in branches with climate-friendly alternatives
- Planning and installing additional photovoltaic (PV) systems
- Extending the reuse and redistribution of IT equipment and mobile phones
- Optimising branch lighting through the transition to LED technology
- Planning and delivering green events
