Preserving Natural Resources
UniCredit understands the importance of managing the external EMAS verification at a number of our sites. In keeping
environmental aspects and other potential impacts of its activities, with the recommendation of Italy’s national accreditation
both direct and indirect. In addition to minimizing our environmental body1, as a basis for the annual EMAS verification we made
impact and our carbon footprint to fight climate change, we are use of a sample of buildings with operational and dimensional
financing renewable energy technologies and finding new ways to characteristics similar to those of many other facilities covered
reduce financed emissions. And by requiring prospective suppliers to by the registration. In addition, we focused on issues and
meet specifications that incorporate environmental criteria, we are metrics that are common to many branches in order to limit
working to ensure the sustainability of our procurement practices. potential inconsistencies.
Ultimately, to be a truly sustainable bank means creating value for
all of our stakeholders and improving their quality of life over the Our revised environmental analysis takes a different approach
long term through the activities described in this chapter. from that used in previous years, because it assesses the
impacts of a broader cross-section of our operations as defined
MATERIAL NEED OUR APPROACH by the new EMS scope. Previously, we focused on our parent
company and Groupwide policies and models, and did not take
• Expanding our Environmental Management our branch-level operations into account. However, the new
Environmental impact System scope includes country-level lending activities and policies
minimization • Carrying out the EMS concept relating to all of our business lines.
• Combating climate change
Sustainable Three of UniCredit’s legal entities – UniCredit SpA, UniCredit
• Selecting our suppliers Bank Austria AG and UniCredit Bank Slovakia AS – now operate
procurement
with certified environmental management systems covers the
whole perimeter. Currently, some 42 percent of our full-time
employees are covered by our environmental management
Environmental impact minimization systems operating Groupwide.
Expanding our Environmental In Germany, we are assessing plans to extend our ISO 140012
certifications to sites countrywide and will launch a pilot project
Management System in 2013. A similar endeavor is underway in the Czech Republic
Our Group attaches great importance to how we manage and is expected to be completed by the end of 2013.
our environmental impacts. UniCredit SpA’s environmental
management system (EMS) has long been registered under the Carrying out the EMS concept
European Union’s Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS).
However, our EMS underwent significant change in 2011 after Effective internal communication is key to successfully
UniCredit SpA integrated its operating legal entities into one carrying out such an expansive certification process. In fact, the
organization, expanding its involvement to cover all banking EMAS regulation stresses the importance of communicating
operations in Italy. As a result, our EMAS registration was with colleagues and encouraging them to participate in
renewed and adjusted in 2012 to encompass its new perimeter, implementing the environmental management system.
spanning some 4,400 sites and 45,000 employees in Italy.
While UniCredit SpA also operates certain branches outside This is particularly important for financial service providers like
of Italy, these facilities are managed independently on a daily UniCredit, where profitability is closely tied to technological
basis. We therefore chose to limit our EMS scope at this time to innovation and effective use of our people’s professional
UniCredit SpA’s operations in Italy. skills. Our newly expanded EMS was the result of a bottom-up
process, in which contributions from our network were critical
We postponed our annual EMAS verification period to June in to defining its procedures and framework. This approach has
order to improve our data quality, which resulted in our Group resulted in many valuable suggestions from colleagues who
formally renewing our EMS certification at the end of 2012. participated in the process.
Moreover, we developed a methodology to conduct internal and
In Italy, our network has deep knowledge of the EMS at all
organizational levels. We look to UBIS3 to ensure the proper
management of UniCredit facilities, while relying on our
Our EMAS registration was network’s internal functions to raise awereness. Access to EMS
renewed and adjusted in content, regulations and recommendations is available to
2012 to encompass its new colleagues in Italy through UniContact. This online tool supports
colleagues’ daily activities, offering useful information on
perimeter, spanning some office-waste disposal and ways to reduce energy consumption,
4,400 sites and 45,000
employees in Italy 1. ACCREDIA, the Italian national accreditation body, was established in 2009 to carry out EU
Regulation (EC) No. 765/2008 of July 9, 2008.
2. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is the world’s largest developer of
voluntary international standards.
3. UniCredit Business Integrated Solutions (UBIS) is a wholly owned subsidiary of UniCredit
that provides services related to information and communications technology (ICT), back-
and middle-office functions, real estate, security and procurement.
72 2012 Sustainability Report · UniCredit