Sustainability approach
There is no denying that one of the biggest challenges for society is sustainability, in all its forms. Climate change threatens both the planet and its people. People may struggle with inequality, poor financial health, and even a lack of basic human rights.
As the challenges increase, there’s a growing sense of urgency that governments and businesses should step in and help tackle them. The world is changing, and banking needs to change with it.
As society transitions to a low-carbon economy, so do our clients, and so does ING. The low-carbon transition cannot happen overnight. Even though we finance a lot of sustainable activities, we still finance more that’s not, which is a reflection of the current global economy and how far the world has come.
ING aims to put sustainability at the heart of what we do, defining new ways of doing business where planet and people are just as important as economic growth. It’s about making progress together, step by step.
It starts with our own operations and people. Looking inward, means striving to ensure our operations – our buildings, data centres and how we use transport – are in line with the low-carbon economy of the future. That our employees are treated well and that neither we nor our suppliers infringe on human rights.
But we can do more. As a global bank with billions flowing through our books, we have an opportunity to make an impact for the better. Doing so by bringing aspects of climate change, nature and respecting human rights into our dialogue with clients and financing decisions.
ING wants to be a pioneer in defining new ways to do business. We want to be a banking leader in building a sustainable future for our company, our customers, society and the environment. How?
- Climate action: This is our main focus. We want to lead by example by striving for net zero in our own operations. We aim to play our part in the low-carbon transformation that is necessary to achieve a sustainable future steering the most carbon-intensive parts of our lending portfolio towards reaching net zero by 2050.
- Collaboration: We work with clients to achieve their own sustainability goals, increasing our impact through partnerships and coalition-building.
- Climate-related, environmental and social risk: We manage the most relevant environmental and social risks. We also contribute to positive change by supporting clients that seek continuous improvement in environmental and social practices.
- Financial health and inclusion: We’re working to advance financial health and inclusion for customers and communities.
- Empowering colleagues: We empower colleagues to contribute to it all for example by providing them with the right knowledge and training.