• BBVA is a world leader in financing renewable
energy (mostly wind and photovoltaic) and
actively fosters its recommendation to its
private banking clients.
• BBVA applies the Equator Principles to
projects, for more than €4,9 billion since 2006.
• BBVA Asset Management has launched a
campaign amongst clients to reduce paper
consumption.
• In Mexico, the Foundation and the North
American Center for Environmental
Information and Communication (CICEANA)
organised a conference entitled “Global
Climate Change: an issue that affects us all”.
• Under the HR Department’s Passion for People
programme, employees in Spain have been
offered very advantageous terms for buying
hybrid vehicles and eco-efficient domestic
appliances.
• Reforestation symposia in Mexico and Spain
as part of the community service programmes.
• Implementation of Green IT initiatives by the
Technology & Operations area to reduce
energy consumption of central servers.
• Launch of campaigns for raising awareness and
perception amongst employees in Colombia and
Peru as part of the Global Eco-efficiency Plan.
• BBVA has offset the emissions associated with
publication of its Annual Report 2008 and
Corporate Responsibility Report 2008
through a project entitled “Organic
composting for fair trade in Mexico” which
forms part of the CeroCO2 climate care
initiative. The project helps reduce emissions
of methane, a gas with a greenhouse potential
21 times higher than CO 2 .
TRAINING, ENVI-
RONMENTAL
AWARENESS
AND ENVIRON-
MENTAL
PATRONAGE
In 2008, 545 employees
received environmental
training (on environmental
risks, LEED certification,
ISO 14001, eco-efficiency,
etc.). These included
employees who had participated in the
Ecobanking virtual training programme on
“Analysing Environmental and Social Risks”
and “Corporate Eco-efficiency in Financial
Institutions”, an initiative of the Latin American
Regional Task Force of the United Nations
Environment Programme Finance Initiative
(LATF UNEP FI), Inwent - Capacity Building
International (Germany) and the INCAE Business
School, with support from the Ecobanking
project. In 2008, BBVA members accounted for
10% of all participants in the courses. The
Actualidad Ambiental newsletter, which
published its 100 th issue in 2008 and has been
accessible to all Group employees on the intranet
since that time, plays an important role in raising
awareness and integrating environmental
concerns into the Group’s activities. Also on the
intranet, five surveys have been carried out on
environmental issues with over 2,000 participants
responding in Spain. The Economic Research
Department also publishes reports on economic
aspects related to environmental issues. These
reports are distributed internally and externally
and contribute to analysis, awareness and
dissemination of information in this area.
In the area of environmental patronage, BBVA
Foundation has ambitious programmes of
environmental support. Amongst the categories
in the Fronteras del conocimiento (Frontiers of
knowledge) awards is one on climate change
with prize money of €400,000. The 2008 BBVA
Foundation Fronteras del conocimiento award
for Climate Change was awarded to the
American researcher Wallace S. Broecker, the
first scientist to raise the alarm on global
warming. The jury highlighted the pioneering
nature of Broecker’s work and the contributions
this American scientist has made to our
knowledge of “abrupt changes”, processes which
trigger extreme shifts in climate. In 2008, BBVA
Foundation also launched the Fourth Grants for
Environmental Research Projects in the areas of
Ecology and Conservation Biology with an
allocation of €3.6m for financing 18 research
projects.
See: www.fbbva.org
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Corporate Responsibility Report 2008
59
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