INTERNAL OPERATION

At Piraeus Bank, we put great emphasis on environment’s protection and on responsible banking.

We show the way to positive change, starting with ourselves.

In line with our strategic goal of creating a unified corporate culture on all levels of the Organization, we incorporate our values into our structures and operations.

EMAS (Environmental Management Audit Scheme)

For 10 years now, Piraeus Bank has been implementing programs aimed at ongoing reduction of the environmental footprint of our day-to-day operations. In all of its infrastructure and activities, it implements a comprehensive and continuously improving Environmental Management System that is EMAS certified, reflecting its management’s commitment and engaging employees. These programmes cover electricity consumption, consumption of resources such as printing paper and water, job-related transport, recycling of all kinds, and adoption of new practices, such as promotion of e-banking.

Through these actions, the Bank has succeeded in reducing its total CO2 emissions by 22% per employee since 2014, while the annual net financial benefit from implementation of these environmental programmes is around €5.5 million. Piraeus Bank has repeatedly won awards for these actions in Greece and abroad, and it is no coincidence that it stands out every year from the competition in the relevant customer surveys on its environmental conduct and image. Moreover, in the sustainability (ESG) index ratings – based on which it is evaluated every year – its environmental performance consistently receives very high ratings compared to the largest banks internationally.

The next step is to lay the foundations for evaluation of the carbon footprint of financing – the Bank’s loans and investments – which accounts by far for the largest percentage of the Organization’s environmental impact, so that we can then set clear, measurable and achievable goals for its reduction.

Volunteer Actions

Guided by the slogan “I care, I participate, I volunteer,” which concerns initiatives that make a difference in Society, Culture and the Environment, Piraeus Bank Group’s volunteers contribute significantly to substantial projects that are related with specific needs and have a significant impact on the lives of our fellow human beings.

Committed to the Group’s vision and values and guided by the UN’s 17 Global Sustainable Development Goals, the Group systematically launches and supports actions that emphasize Society, Culture and the Environment.

In this context, it is indicative that, in 2019, 130 Corporate Responsibility and Volunteer actions were held with the participation of Group volunteers and members of their families, from which 34,333 persons and 386 organizations benefited.

Human rights in the workplace – Training

Firmly oriented towards the principles of human rights and equal opportunities, Piraeus Bank Group creates a collaborative operating framework for its employees, based on responsibility, transparency and meritocracy.

Since 2004, Piraeus Bank has embraced the principles of the UN Global Compact for protection of human rights. Respect for human rights and the principle of equal opportunities govern all of the Group’s policies, procedures and human resource management practices, ensuring a workplace environment that accepts and incorporates diversity.

In this context, it provides:

• 100% access for employees to the Human Rights Policy, through internal communication channels.


• 100% access for employees to the revised e-course “Human Rights, Equal Opportunities and Diversity in the Workplace.”


• 80% of Bank personnel received training in 2018-2019. Of these, 16% were trained in 2019, receiving 8,825 hours of training.

“Breakfast Together”: employees are introduced to the CEO and members of the Group’s Executive Board

The CEO and members of the Group’s Executive Board hold scheduled meetings with groups of employees, discussing matters of strategy, business goals and achievements with them. They also talk about employees’ daily lives, the Group’s culture and values, and how these affect Bank’s day-to-day operations.