Şekerbank, which has achieved many firsts from energy efficiency to microfinance in the field of financing the sustainable development, has undersigned the Business Leadership Criteria on Carbon Pricing created by the UN Global Compact.
The Bank, which has attended the United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP21) held in the French capital Paris, has become one of the limited institutions in the world by adopting the Business Leadership Criteria on Carbon Pricing, expressing the business world's support to pricing of carbon. Şekerbank is one of the 65 institutions that have undersigned the said criteria.
With its signature under the UN Global Compact Business Leadership Criteria on Carbon Pricing, the Bank will determine an in-house carbon price sufficient to influence the project financing decisions in compliance with the relevant legislation in Turkey for reduction of the greenhouse gas emissions. Şekerbank will also defend the importance of the carbon price issue across Turkey.
Halit Yıldız: “We have prevented 4.5 million tons of carbondioxide emission”
Şekerbank General Manager Halit Yıldız said that they had introduced energy efficiency to over 75 thousand people until today within the scope of the EKOkredi, which is a first in Turkey, they developed in 2009 to popularize the energy efficiency investments and support the sustainability of the natural resources. Stating that 194 million cubic meters of natural gas or, in electrical terms, over 21.1 billion kilowatt-hour of energy has been saved with the insulation of over 104 thousand houses in consequence of the works they have carried out in 6 years within the scope of EKOkredi, Yıldız also said that they had prevented 4.5 million tons of carbondioxide emission.
“We will support the country's emission reduction targets”
Stating that Şekerbank has undersigned the Business Leadership Criteria on Carbon Pricing to serve the emission reduction targets by country, which are specified in the Paris Agreement ratified unanimously by the delegations of 195 countries including Turkey within the scope of the United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties, Yıldız said that they felt the pride of being one of the limited institutions that have signed these criteria.
One of the leading banks in measuring the environmental and social impacts of the lending processes in Turkey, Şekerbank is also one of the limited banks that are parties from Turkey to the UN Global Compact that shows an innovative corporate responsibility approach and suggests the business world, which is in a continuous competition, universal principles to create a common development culture.