In September, Banco Santander was named the world's most sustainable bank in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, the leading benchmark for corporate sustainability which tracks the Group's performance in terms of economic, environmental and social criteria.

Madrid, 1 December 2019 – PRESS RELEASE
On Monday, Banco Santander will join the 25th session of the Conference of Parties (COP25) as part of its commitment to sustainability and protecting the environment. The bank will play a prominent role throughout the two-week session, which will bring together in Madrid around 50 heads of state and government, and leading scientists and personalities from the academic and business communities. 

Banco Santander is sponsoring COP25, showcasing its leadership as the world’s most sustainable bank according to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index 2019, the leading benchmark for corporate sustainability which tracks the performance of banks in terms of economic, environmental and social criteria. This Monday, Santander Group executive chairman, Ana Botín, will take part in one of the COP25 opening ceremonies and, along with the bank’s chief executive officer and other representatives, will have a prominent role over the course of the event. 

Santander Group Executive Chairman, Ana Botín, said: “Climate change is the greatest challenge facing the world and it means everyone must take decisions. COP25 provides an opportunity to take the commitments made until now a step further and develop instruments that help us meet them and bring us closer to achieving the Paris Agreement. We all need to assume specific commitments: governments, companies and other social agents, as well as all citizens. Santander is already one of the largest providers of green finance in the world and we will continue to increase our involvement to support the transition towards a sustainable energy and production model.”

The Group’s commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals is articulated in ten objectives set by the Bank from now until 2025. These include €120 billion of green finance to combat climate change. In October, the bank issued €1 billion of 7-year green bonds to fund wind and solar power projects to initiate its global sustainable issuance plan.  

Santander has also pledged to eliminate all single-use plastic from its buildings and ensure that 100% of its electricity consumption is from renewable sources in all the countries where the energy source can be certified.  

These objectives are the expression of the bank’s commitment to sustainability as a signatory of the Principles for Responsible Banking of the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) launched in September, and the Collective Commitment to Climate to align its portfolio to the commitments adopted in the Paris Agreement. 

These principles define the sector’s role and responsibilities for ensuring a more sustainable and inclusive future. In this context, another objective set by Santander is to financially empower 10 million people over the next six years. 

COP25 initiatives

During the two weeks of COP25, Santander will organise a variety of events and activities designed to enrich debate and increase environmental awareness. Taking advantage of the event's kick-off, the bank will eliminate single-use plastic in some of its most emblematic buildings in Spain, namely central services, having already done so at the corporate centre in Boadilla del Monte.

The bank will also take part in the “Eje Castellana Verde” initiative to call attention to the consequences of climate change through characterisations on the facades of some of its buildings with sustainable materials.