Sberbank - Annual Report 2010 - Towards Environmental Efficiency

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# Towards Environmental Efficiency

As our business develops and we improve the quality of our customer service, we inevitably need more technology to support this. However, these technologies use more power and overall energy and resource consumption becomes a significant factor in terms of both environmental impact and cost.

We take steps to minimise our direct environmental impact. It is also a management objective to reduce our indirect environmental impact by providing loans to companies and projects with outstanding environmental performance indicators.

## Responsible Consumption

## Reducing Our Environmental Footprint

We employ the following measures to reduce our impact on the environment:

- we perform energy audits and energy efficiency assessments at the Bank’s facilities;
- we have introduced initiatives to save energy and minimise our environmental impact;
- we develop and implement systems to monitor energy consumption and to monitor and review the effectiveness of steps taken to improve efficiency;
- we increase employee knowledge and improve skills in the field of energy saving and efficiency.

By promoting advanced banking products and instruments, such as Sberbank Online, Sberbank Business Online, Mobile Bank and selfservice terminals, we can help reduce the consumption of paper and other resources. Our objective is to develop and roll out such technologies to allow our business to develop further while securing the minimum increase in the use of non-renewable resources.

Power consumption in 2010 | 2,594,444.2 GJ
Heat consumption in 2010 | 3,710,618.71 GJ

## Energy Efficient Lamps and Motion Sensors

In 2010, 1,400 LED lamps and 16 motion sensors were installed on the premises of the Corporate University and a Bank branch in Odintsovo. Estimated annual savings compared to traditional fluorescent lamps amount to 864.82 GJ (a 56% reduction in energy consumption).

Where possible, we purchase paper produced without the use of bleaching agents hazardous to the environment. For example, the Bank purchases some 400 tonnes of unbleached paper forms per year. In parallel with this, we are gradually expanding the use of electronic forms, thus reducing overall paper consumption.

Sberbank takes steps to improve environmental awareness among its employees. One example from our internal environmental initiatives is the recycling of waste paper, which began at our Central Head Office in 2009. Over two years, 628 tonnes of used paper and cardboard was sent for recycling. In 2010, Sberbank began promoting this practice at its regional banks.

Where practical, the Bank employs the principles of ‘green construction’ when building new or re-constructing existing facilities. Construction contractors involved in such projects are required to provide a note explaining the resource and energy efficiency techniques that are to be employed, along with a justification detailing why such techniques were selected.

In 2010, Sberbank continued to oversee construction works carried out by its contractors in order to minimise associated environmental impacts. We paid attention to the use of small construction machinery for loading and unloading operations to minimise idle time, as well as the use of environmentally friendly and certified materials and the sending of construction waste to appropriate specialised companies for disposal.

## Green COSCs

In the design and construction of our new Customer Operation Support Centres (COSCs), we relied on the principles of ‘green construction’. Buildings feature large windows to ensure the maximum possible level of natural light at workplaces and a number of energy efficient engineering solutions. The first COSCs were launched in Moscow and St. Petersburg (in 2008 and 2009, respectively). Another two centres in Perm and Krasnoyarsk began operations at the end of 2010. In 2011, we plan to launch six more COSCs.

By 2014, Sberbank plans to build the largest data processing centre in Europe. The super energy efficient facility will host 5,000 square metres of computing and data storage equipment.

It is important that we identify and assess problems that give rise to the risk of legal and financial liabilities for environmental damage in good time. In 2010, we drafted the corporate Regulations on Operational Environmental Monitoring. Once the document is approved in 2011, we plan to begin implementing an environmental management system, which will help reduce both environmental impacts and respective expenditures.

Currently the Bank is developing a list of environmental requirements that will apply to contractors involved in the construction or modernisation of its facilities.

In addition, we plan to develop and roll out an automated environmental information management system at our branches. The system will collect quarterly information on the environmental impact of all Bank divisions: harmful gas emissions, effluent discharges and waste generation, recycling, processing and disposal. The information obtained through the system will help us undertake a comprehensive analysis of our environmental activities and identify approaches for the reduction of our overall environmental footprint.

## Energy Efficiency Projects

In Russia, the amount of excess energy consumed through inefficiency is roughly equal to the energy consumption of a number of European countries. There is huge potential to improve energy efficiency but this will require both public and private investments.

Sberbank implements a number of projects to improve energy efficiency. Among the most prominent examples are the Energy Efficient Neighbourhood projects supported by the Zapadno-Sibirsky and Volgo-Vyatsky Regional Banks.

## Energy Efficient Neighbourhoods

The Energy Efficient Neighbourhood project in Tyumen involves developing an area in the city centre of some 430,000 square metres using state-of-the-art energy and resource efficiency techniques. The city administration intends to achieve an average reduction of 25–30% in energy and resource consumption on the base indicator without reducing comfort levels. This will also help households cut their utility bills.

Within the framework of its cooperation agreement with the city administration, Sberbank acts a financial partner and consultant on the project. We jointly developed a project implementation schedule with the city administration, as well as an action plan for the promotion of energy efficiency among businesses and households through the media. Sberbank specialists suggested creating a special information portal on housing and utility services which would include, among other resources, an energy savings calculator. The system will help households to estimate in advance their savings from the installation of energy efficient lights and other equipment. In addition, Sberbank prepared a proposal for a special retail loan product called Energy Saving.

At meetings with residents in Kazan and through work with the city and district administrations, Sberbank actively promoted its services aimed at improving the energy efficiency of housing and public facilities in the selected project area and at providing financing for corporate energy consumers and suppliers.

Energy Efficient Neighbourhoods can be expanded further in Kazan or Tyumen and the successful experience can be applied in other Russian cities.

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