Co-operative Bank      our Ecological Mission Statement

Ecological Statement
     
We, The Co-operative Bank, will continue to develop our business taking into account the impact our activities have on the environment and society at large. The nature of our activities are such that our indirect impact by being selective in terms of the provision of finance and banking arrangements is more ecologically significant than the direct impact of our trading operations.

However, we undertake to continually assess all our activities and implement a programme of ecological improvement based on the pursuit of the following four scientific principles:

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  1. Nature cannot withstand a progressive build-up of waste derived from the Earth's crust.
  2. Nature cannot withstand a progressive build-up of society's waste, particularly artificial persistent substances which it cannot degrade into harmless materials.
  3. The productive area of nature must not be diminished in quality (diversity) or quantity (volume) and must be enabled to grow.
  4. Society must utilise energy and resources in a sustainable, equitable and efficient manner.

We consider that the pursuit of these principles constitutes a path of ecological excellence and will secure future prosperity for society by sustainable economic activity.

The Co-operative Bank will not only pursue the above path itself, but endeavour to help and encourage all its stakeholders to do likewise.

We will aim to achieve this by:

Financial Services
Encouraging business customers to take a pro-active stance on the environmental impact of their own activities, and investing in companies and organisations that avoid repeated damage of the environment. (As stated in our Ethical Policy)

Management Systems
Assessing our ecological impact, setting ourselves clear targets, formulating an action plan and monitoring how we meet them, and publishing the results.

Purchasing and Outsourcing
Welcoming suppliers whose activities are compatible with both our Ethical Policy and Ecological Mission Statement, and working in partnership with them to improve our collective performance.

Support
Supporting ecological projects and developing partnerships with businesses and organisations whose direct and indirect output contributes to a sustainable society.

Legislation
Adhering to environmental laws, directives and guidelines while continually improving upon our own contribution to a sustainable society.