Emirates NBD strengthens commitment to ESG agenda

Emirates NBD strengthens commitment to ESG agenda

2 Min | 05 May 2022
Group publishes sixth Annual ESG Report highlighting achievements in responsible finance and investment, environment, social and governance

Group publishes sixth Annual ESG Report highlighting achievements in responsible finance and investment, environment, social and governance

Dubai, UAE, 05 May 2022: Emirates NBD, a leading banking group in the MENAT (Middle East, North Africa and Turkey) region, has issued its sixth Annual ESG Report (formerly Sustainability Report) detailing the organisations’ Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) performance and achievements in 2021.

The report has been prepared in accordance with the GRI Standards and aligned to the UAE Vision 2021 as well as the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

Key Highlights of Emirates NBD Group’s 2021 ESG report:

Responsible Finance and Investment

  • Commitment to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UN PRI)
  • Structuring and managing the UAE’s first sustainable Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), Masdar Green REIT, amounting to AED 949 million
  • Sustainable debt and loan capital market transactions, 24 such transactions amounting to AED 69 billion, led by Emirates NBD Capital (EmCap) in 2021
  • Introduced a Wealth Management Sustainable Investment Framework

Environmental

  • Reduction of water consumption by 22%
  • Reduction of energy consumption by 12% and achieved cost savings of AED 3.7 million in 2021
  • 4 LEED GOLD certified branches in the UAE
  • First LEED GOLD certified bank branch in Saudi Arabia (Al Quds branch, Riyadh)
  • ISO 14001:2015 certified for our environmental management system
  • 6 LEED certified engineers in Facility Management

Social

  • A diverse workforce of 9,825 full-time employees from 78 nationalities
  • 41% of Emirates NBD Group employees are women, with the target of 25% of senior roles being filled by women by 2027
  • Improved flexibility for full-time employees through flexible working hours and increased parental leave
  • 902 volunteer deployments with an award-winning corporate volunteering programme
  • Over AED 64 million in social contributions

Governance
The Board of Directors is responsible for overseeing management and safeguarding the interests of our stakeholders. A number of committees have been allocated special responsibility by the Board. Additionally, fraud management, anti-bribery and anti-corruption policies, data security, whistleblower, business continuity, and crisis management policies are in place to ensure good governance and accountability. The code of conduct establishes the expectations for professional behavior among all employees.  

Commenting on the announcement, Shayne Nelson Group CEO, Emirates NBD said, “Emirates NBD is proud to present its sixth Annual ESG Report. Despite the challenges
posed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, 2021 was an eventful and rewarding year for
the Group as we navigated the changing global economic landscape.”

He added, “As we look forward, we recognise both the challenges as well as the opportunities in integrating ESG into our business. With our long history of being an innovator and staying ahead of the curve as the industry changes, I am optimistic that we will be able to harness this strength to address the many challenges that we face as a global community. With continued, ongoing progress in our ESG agenda, we remain confident that we will move towards achieving our sustainability aspirations.”

A full copy of the report is available on Emirates NBD’s website and you can view the Emirates NBD 2021 ESG Report highlights video here.

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