| Ecological Sustianability |
| National and International Society |
Our Ecological Mission Statement commits us to develop our business taking into account the impact our activities have on the environment and society at large. To this end, in the section on "Suppliers" you will find details of how well the Bank manages its operations from an ecological perspective, covering everything from energy consumption per employee through to details of the chemicals in our fire control systems. Furthermore, in the section on "Customers" you will find details of those areas in which we have developed a range of eco-products and the success of each to date. We will restrict our observations here to a brief analysis of the manner in which we raise funds for environmental causes (illustrated by an independent account from ethics etc... on the success or otherwise of our Greenpeace Affinity Card) and report on what is perhaps our most significant environmental initiative to date, The Co-operative Bank National Centre for Business & Ecology.
Our reporting on the Bank's partnership with Society has already covered many areas where our ecological performance and contribution to a sustainable society can be measured, and data has been presented accordingly.
• In 1994, 93% of customers said they were concerned that their money should not be invested in organisations whose activities would damage the environment, and over the period 1996-1997, 33% of all 'declines' by the Ethical Policy Unit resulted from environmental concerns. Ecological Sustainability
• The Bank provides charitable support to a number of environmental organisations; in 1997 this support accounted for just over a third of all monies allocated to national charitable causes.
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Greenpeace
The Greenpeace Affinity Card was launched in 1997, below is an account of the card's development and a candid assessment by ethics etc... of the Bank's performance. |
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The Co-operative Bank National Centre for Business & Ecology
Perhaps our most significant contribution to the realisation of a sustainable society has been the establishment by the Bank of the National Centre for Business & Ecology (NCBE), which is described below. 1997 saw the consolidation and confirmation of the Centre as one of the country's leading environmental consultancies. The Centre was established in 1995 by The Co-operative Bank in partnership with four of the country's leading Universities (The University of Salford, Manchester Metropolitan University, UMIST and The University of Manchester). We are currently part way through a five year arrangement by which the Bank will provide £1 million in total to the Centre. Last year, the NCBE crystallised its service strategy into three main areas; assisted programmes for small businesses; focused solutions for larger organisations; and global solutions for waste management. The small business initiative was exemplified by two major programmes, Environet 2000 and the Business and Ecology Demonstration Project. The combined effect of these projects was to assist 189 small companies to improve their environmental performance. Highlights of these projects included a reed-bed feasibility study for textile dyers, helping a small scrap metal merchant to obtain a waste management licence, and saving thousands of pounds through various practical waste minimisation projects that empowered companies to help themselves. The most significant applied studies for larger organisations included the assessment of the environmental impacts caused by PVC for a consortium of retailers led by Tesco. Right at the end of the year the Centre won a £175,000 project with UK Waste to investigate improvements in the way leachate from landfills is managed and cleaned. In another waste study, this time for Biffa Waste Services, the NCBE considered how waste is measured and where it is tipped on a region by region basis.
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The Greenpeace Affinity Card The idea of the Greenpeace Visa Card goes to the very heart of The Co-operative Bank's commitment to make its business ethical and sustainable. The Bank asked Greenpeace about its current concerns and what the Bank should do to address them. Greenpeace had growing concerns about PVC plastics and the cumulative toxic effects of some of the chemicals involved in their manufacture and disposal. Could the Bank do something about PVC credit cards? Although no commercial relationship existed at the time the 'like-mindedness' of the two organisations on the issue of sustainability and ethical corporate behaviour was apparent. It inspired the Bank to go off on its own to undertake an almost obsessional and eventually successful quest for a non-PVC alternative for credit cards. It wasn't quite the Holy Grail! But Greenpeace were deeply impressed when the Bank invited them to set up a non-PVC affinity card scheme. But was it a poisoned chalice? Greenpeace had never considered an affinity card, as it does not accept donations from the corporate sector. High level discussions with Greenpeace internationally agreed the money would actually be donated by individuals who chose to use the card. But there was another problem.The manufacturing rights for Biopol, the non-PVC plastic, had just been bought by Monsanto - a high profile target for Greenpeace campaigns internationally against genetic engineering in agri-business. While Greenpeace was addressing its internal policy dilemmas both partners in the emerging relationship were struggling with the differences in their organisational cultures and ways of doing things, which at times threatened the realisation of their common goal. In particular there were times when Greenpeace found the Bank's more hierarchical decision making, standard processes and at times haphazard communications at variance with their focus on achieving goals and targets by effective direct communication between the people doing the job. In the end the Greenpeace VISA credit card was launched and has been very successful financially both for the Bank and for Greenpeace. However, the British Plastics Federation and others made a complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority about advertisements the Bank published in association with Greenpeace on the launch date, which put the case for the non-PVC credit card.This effectively put a stop on press advertising which Greenpeace see as one of the main benefits which came from the Bank supporting Greenpeace's anti-PVC campaign through advertising the credit card. On the other hand, the Bank's commitment, given at the launch of the Greenpeace card, to convert all its cards to non-PVC plastic by the year 2000, is seen by Greenpeace as a courageous and long-term commitment, with real commercial costs attached to it, to their shared goal. This partnership has required more courage, initiative and flexibility than many of the Bank's affinity relationships.The real test of 'like-mindedness' will be the extent to which the Bank is able to support active and sometimes controversial, campaigning about issues which highlight the seriousness of its Ecological Mission Statement and Ethical Policy. The story of the Bank's short partnership with Greenpeace so far is one of real immediate benefit. However, there is a slight concern at Greenpeace that the Bank may have lost some of the energy that inspired it to create the non-PVC credit card and it may be holding back untapped potential for new collaborations particularly in the area of the Bank's Ecological Mission Statement and Eco-Action Plan.
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RICHARD EVANS, ethics etc..., 27 FEBRUARY 1998
| When we introduced our Partnership Approach last year, we recognised that long term commercial success was reliant on delivering value to all our partners. | |
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| Since the launch of the Ethical Policy in 1992 the Bank has gone from strength to strength - proving that principles and profitability can go hand in hand. | |
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