BUSINESS: 327 PRACTICES
Alpha Bank Group
The Alpha Bank Group is one of the leading Groups of the financial sector in Greece. It offers a wide range of high-quality financial products and services in the domestic and international market and has one of the highest capital adequacy ratios in Europe.
For Alpha Bank, the adoption and implementation of best practices regarding the environment, society and corporate governance is a priority. In this context, it seeks to use natural resources wisely and develops business actions with environmental benefit, in full harmony with the "Sustainable Development Goals of the UN".
With the "Reuse for Good" program, the Bank contributes to the protection of the environment and the saving of natural resources, resulting in the improvement of its environmental footprint and in general dealing with the direct and indirect consequences of its operation on the environment.
Based on the principles of the circular economy, Alpha Bank takes an active action to save natural resources, promoting the reuse of office, technological and electronic equipment, while at the same time, it supports local communities, agencies and vulnerable social groups, as it has been doing all these years. seeking their equal access to goods and services.
Local societies (bodies, schools, organizations, municipalities).
2010-2022
The "Reuse for good" program is a circular economy initiative, with an environmental and social character that offers a new life cycle to office and technological equipment, donating it to entities that really need it.
The reason for the planning and implementation of the program was the fact that the Bank has a large number of offices and stores throughout the country and in cases of renovations, mergers or changes of use, the office and technological equipment ceases to be necessary. At the same time, the need to modernize the machines results in machines of previous technology that remain functional, no longer being used.
This large volume of equipment that results, instead of ending up in disposal, creating additional waste, or in recycling, is given for reuse, extending the life of the products, as long as it is functional and useful to other agencies.
The "Retired Equipment" Program has been running continuously since 2010. The Bank's Corporate Social Responsibility department gathers requests from schools, clubs and other local bodies, in which they record their unique needs for office and technological equipment.
The items offered are: computers, printers, copiers, monitors, televisions, desks, tables, chairs, shelves, bookcases.
The benefits of the program are two-fold as the lifespan of the items is extended, while at the same time organizations and agencies are strengthened that would not otherwise have the financial ability to procure the specific items. The Bank therefore contributes to the provision of equal opportunities in education, work and entertainment to institutions, local communities and vulnerable social groups (special schools, associations for the disabled, etc.), taking care at the same time to reduce its environmental footprint.
It is indicated that, in 2020, in the two years 2020-2021, the Bank responded to 335 agencies by satisfying requests for office equipment with over 841 items and requests for technological equipment with over 1,936 computers. The direct beneficiaries of the program for 2021 amount to 4,960, while the indirect ones to 6,829.
In addition, donations of office and electronic equipment in 2020-2021 avoided a total of 86.8 tons of CO2e emissions.
Greece
Cooperation of the Corporate Social Responsibility department with the Property and Security Department.
Alpha Bank, having recognized the contemporary environmental challenges, has established and implements a specific Environmental Policy within the framework of Corporate Social Responsibility.
Evaluating the context of operation, the nature, the scope and the possible environmental impacts of the Group's activities, it has committed itself through a specific Environmental Management Policy that it has established, for its environmental behavior. The "Reuse for Good" Program is part of the bank's environmental commitments and has the benefit of improving the environmental footprint by reducing waste and avoiding CO2e emissions. At the same time, supporting schools, municipalities and charitable organizations through the donation of equipment contributes to the Bank's ongoing commitment to creating conditions for everyone's equal access to society and education.
