Supporting the transition to a sustainable economy
Our transition plan comprises three lines of action. We support our customers and the communities we serve in their transition objectives. We assess our customers’ climate-related risks to manage the impact on their business and on our operations. We work on aligning our portfolios to the Paris Agreement Goals.
Main lines of action
Supporting our customers in their transition goals
We’re supporting our customers in their transition to a sustainable economy. We’re working towards our target of mobilizing 220 billion euros in green finance between 2019 and 2030, after having reached our previous 120-billion-euro target 18 months early. We offer our customers guidance, advice and specific business solutions, as well as a wide range of products to invest in according to their sustainability preferences. Moreover, in March 2025 we achieved our target of 100 billion euros in in assets under management (AUM) in Socially Responsible Investments (SRI) nine months ahead of schedule.
Embedding ESG in risk management
We embed climate, environmental and social factors in each risk type from both a regulatory and management perspective, including a materiality assessment that informs the double materiality assessment and our sustainability strategy.
Aspiring to align our operations with the Paris Agreement goals
We’re working towards aligning our portfolio with the Paris Agreement goals to help limit global warming. We set alignment goals and monitor portfolios. We closed 2025 with six targets in five sectors, monitored more portfolios, and continued to work on aligning our asset management activity. As with all IROs, we manage these targets and monitor our portfolios according to the law and to local regulation in the markets where we operate. These targets, as well as their updates and changes, reflect the current landscape and any expected developments in the economies and among the customers we serve. We continue to reduce the environmental impact of our operations through efficiency measures. In 2025, we achieved our target of sourcing all our electricity from renewable energy in our core markets.
Aiding the transition to a low-carbon economy
- Financing clean energy
in green finance raised and facilitated (2019-2025), exceeding our 2025 target
to finance green homes*
electric cars financed**
in green finance raised and facilitated (2019-2025), exceeding our 2025 target
to finance green homes*
electric cars financed**
*Credit stock as at 31 December 2025 based on EU taxonomy
**Scope: DCB Europe
- We have alignment targets in our credit portfolio for the highest-emitting sectors
- Reducing the impact of our own operations
100% of electricity from renewable sources in 2025
We achieved our target of consuming electricity from renewable sources only in our 10 core markets.*
*In countries where we can verify electricity from renewable sources.
Free of single-use plastics
at our buildings and offices in core markets since 2021
Santander sustainable bonds issue
Through Santander’s Green, social & sustainability funding global framework, which draws on the Green bond principles and Social bond principles, we issue green, social and sustainable bonds to increase capital for sustainable projects that align with our sustainability strategy and ambition.
We updated this framework, which supersedes the 2022 Global Sustainable Bond Framework, in 2023. Sustainalitycs provided a second party opinion.
Our Global sustainable bonds framework provides a special explanation of each bond’s characteristics.
These are our issue frameworks:
Green Bond Framework
We finance renewable energy projects that aid the transition to a low-carbon economy.
Net proceeds from green bonds issued under this framework will finance and refinance renewable energy loans.
Vigeo Eiris provided a second party opinion.
Santander Green Bond Framework June 2020 (available in English only) (666 Kb)
Vigeo Eiris - Second Party Opinion - Santander Green Bond (available in English only) (473 Kb)
Banco Santander Green Bond Reports
Banco Santander Green Bond Report 2019 (available in English only) (534 kb)
Banco Santander Green Bond Report 2020 (available in English only) (1.963 kb)
Banco Santander Green Bond Report 2021 (available in English only) (1.05 Mb)
Banco Santander Green Bond Report 2022 (available in English only) (3.6 Mb)
Banco Santander Green Bond Report 2023 (available in English only) (5.4 Mb)