Krungsri, as a responsible financial service provider, places great emphasis on worsening environmental problem, while being determined in environmental management along with promoting the positive environmental impact, although the banking sector’s operations may not have a direct impact on the environment.
In this light, Krungsri has established the explicit environmental management framework. Being well aware that the banking business is among the industries that consumed resources the most while operating, such as electricity, fuels, paper, we have raised awareness and campaigned among our management and employees at all levels, as well as related parties, to place importance on mitigating their environmental footprints, resource efficiency, and pursuing ways to reduce resource consumption and waste left from their operations.
Optimal environmental management and utilization of resources will help reduce expenses and potential risks arising from the violation of legal and/or environmental requirements, while enhancing environmental initiatives in the organization and the country with greater efficiency, and enable us to better adopt the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production; Goal 13: Climate Action; and Goal 17: partnerships for the Goals).
Management Approaches
Krungsri establishes environmental management approaches as follows:
- Establish ‘Policy for Environment, Resource, Occupational Health, and Safety’ to promote and support the environmental management and resource efficiency. The policy was adopted as a guideline to determine the environmental protection and resource conservation measures, and to comply with the relevant laws and regulations related to the environment. Krungsri’s executives and staff members, as well as internal and external related parties, shall cooperate in complying with the following 11 measures:
- Water consumption
- Communicate and campaign about correct and efficient water consumption
- Stipulate appropriate water consumption time, e.g., watering plants, cleaning space in front of the building, etc.
- Use water-saving and environmentally-friendly sanitary wares
- Stipulate measures on wastewater reuse, e.g., wastewater treatment per stipulated standards and wastewater reuse for some activities
- Log monthly water consumption
- Energy consumption
- Communicate and campaign about energy saving
- Stipulate appropriate electricity consumption, e.g., turning on and off lights, air conditioners, and other electrical appliances based on operational periods
- Promote renewable and environmentally-friendly energy consumption
- Use energy-saving and environmentally-friendly electrical appliances and equipment
- Log monthly electricity consumption
- Fuel consumption
- Communicate and campaign about turning off the car engine upon parking vehicles for a long period of time
- Encourage employees to use bicycles, public transport, or carpooling to work
- Plan appropriate travel routes to save fuels, e.g., shuttle van routes, etc.
- Log monthly fuel consumption
- Consumption of paper, printing ink, office supplies and equipment
- Communicate and raise awareness regarding the consumption of paper, printing ink, office supplies and equipment
- Stipulate a guideline for the use of paper, printing ink, office supplies and equipment in accordance with operations
- Promote the use of electronic media to reduce the consumption of paper, printing ink, office supplies and equipment
- Log monthly paper consumption
- Waste management
- Regularly provide knowledge and raise awareness regarding waste management in the organization, e.g., refraining from using disposable foam take-out or plastic containers, and promoting the 3Rs (Reduce-Reuse-Recycle) concept and reducing chemical substance use
- Provide waste bins with explicit labels of waste types and campaign for waste sorting as stipulated
- Provide sufficient space for waste storage pending collection
- Promote waste reuse
- Log monthly waste sorting
- Organizing meetings, exhibitions, and events
- Stipulate the meeting room size based on the number of attendees
- Promote e-meeting or e-training to reduce the use of paper, printing ink, office supplies and equipment in meetings or events
- If it is necessary to organize on-site meetings or events, the venues should be those endorsed by environmentally-friendly standards based on the green procurement guideline
- Wastewater management
- Stipulate appropriate and efficient wastewater management and treatment, while treated wastewater must have the minimum quality per stipulated laws that is appropriate for reuse or release to public waterways
- Stipulate regular examination and maintenance of the wastewater management system
- Stipulate regular checks of wastewater leaks
- Occupational health and safety at workplace
- Provide fire prevention and suppression, remove materials or prevent operations that could cause fire, and organize annual fire safety and evacuation drills in compliance with related laws
- Provide emergency plans
- Assess workplace safety in compliance with related standards
- Provide safety procedures in compliance with related regulatory requirements
- Provide procedures for managing outsourcing service providers operating in the Bank’s areas
- Organize training sessions on safety, occupational health, and workplace environment
- Air quality in workplace
- Stipulate air pollution control plan in the workplace
- Communicate to provide knowledge or inform staff or related parties upon the rise of air pollution from events
- Campaign and prevent air pollution caused by diverse events
- Stipulate the control guideline for pollution caused by construction or renovation within the building area
- Lighting and noise level in the workplace
- Examine luminous intensity of lighting to ensure results that comply with stipulated laws
- Examine and improve lighting at the workplace to ensure its sufficiency and appropriateness in compliance with related laws
- Stipulate noise control in the office building
- Communicate or notify employees or elated parties upon the rise of noise pollution caused by diverse events
- Green areas
- Stipulate green areas inside and outside the office building
- Assign staff to take care of green areas and stipulate certain timelines for maintenance of green areas inside and outside the office building
In this regard, the said policy covers the environmental management and resource efficiency of the Bank and companies in the Financial Business Group (subsidiaries) in which the Bank holds at least 50 percent of shares. The subsidiaries shall refer to and adopt the policy as a management guideline to formulate their own equivalent policy and the said policy must be reviewed every two years or upon any significant change.
- Appoint ‘Working Committee on Environment’ to support responsible business operations that take into account environmental mandates, and ultimate energy efficiency and resource management, comprising 10 business unit representatives, responsible for directly reporting to the Sustainability Committee
- Appoint the ‘Energy Management Committee’ which comprises nine business unit representatives in charge of alignment with the Bank’s energy saving and management policy, including providing training and campaigning for appropriate energy conservation and management, of which membership will be reviewed on an annual basis
- Determine the guidelines and targets for energy, resource, and environment management in accordance with global standards, conforming to laws and international agreements as well as advocating the Sustainable Development Goals
- Devise and support alternative operating methods that employ digital systems and Robotic Process Automation (RPA) systems to minimize the consumption of energy and resources, resulting in less environmental impact of our operating or service processes
- Communicate and provide information about energy and resource efficiency as well as environment conservation to raise awareness among employees, communities, customers, government agencies and related parties realize
- Assign all levels of executives and staff members to jointly take responsibility and take part in promoting and complying with the policies and measures regarding resource and environmental management, resource efficiency, and environment conservation
- Provide appropriate environmental complaint channels via the Bank’s complaint channels, e.g., the website, www.krungsri.com/en/esg/contactus, Krungsri Call Center 1572, or directly file complaints to the Working Committee on Environment, etc.