Our Sustainability
Economic, social and environment development is deeply embedded in our values and informs how we conduct business, develop products and services and deliver on our goals and commitments.
Environment
DFCC Bank is in tune with its responsibility to the environment, taking the lead in environmental initiatives and continuing to embrace sustainable practices. We play an active role in the Sustainable Banking Initiative (SBI) and employ the Social and Environmental Management System (SEMS) for project financing, ensuring that the projects we support are aligned with environmental and social regulations and standards.
DFCC Bank strongly advocates protecting our environment and strives to minimise negative impacts on it. While our core business has a minimal direct impact on the environment, as a financial services provider we are in a unique position to influence and encourage our customers, employees and service providers to adopt environmentally responsible practices.
We periodically review our resource consumption and look at innovative methods of conserving energy and providing business solutions in a sustainable manner. The 3R concept – reduce, reuse, recycle – is strictly used when procuring and managing resources.
Furthermore, the Bank gives high priority to environmental and social appraisal when making investment decisions and managing internal operations, being fully aware that economic development creates an impact on the environment and society. Thus, we have established a Social and Environmental Management System (SEMS) which ensures that the environmental/social implications of existing/proposed projects are reviewed and that subsequent monitoring is carried out to maintain stipulated environmental standards.
The Bank’s sustainability unit is responsible for carrying out all activities concerning environmental protection. This encompasses sustainability initiatives and the management of environmental and social aspects with regard to the Bank’s lending portfolio.
In addition, a cross-functional management team, headed by the CEO has also been established to spearhead the Bank’s sustainability initiatives. This committee is responsible for identifying green initiatives that are in line with the Bank’s core values.
Environmentally friendly initiatives:
- Tree Planting Campaigns
- Promoting Reusable Bags
- Beach Cleanups
- e-Waste Campaign
- Plastic Recycling Campaign
In January 2017, DFCC Bank commenced a tree planting campaign linked to commemorating staff birthdays. As a part of this initiative, staff members are sent personalised invitations to attend the tree-planting campaign with their families. Following the event, they also receive an e-tree-dedication certificate, providing the link to the exact location on Google maps where the tree was planted.
Over 20,000 trees have been planted thus far in collaboration with Re-forest Lanka. These include many endemic and native species, such as Mee, Kumbuk, Karanda, Gammalu, Kos / Jack Fruit, Veera, Ehala, RathHandun, SuduHandun, Hora, Ranawara, Atamba, Wara, Olinda have been planted as a part of this initiative.
Trees planted under this initiative helps to reforest key areas across the island, whilst giving back to the society at large. The trees will also help to improve soil quality and minimise soil erosion, whilst returning much-needed oxygen to the environment.
Staff were first given reusable bags back in 2017. In June 2019, the Bank will give 10,000 reusable bags to customers and 2,000 to staff to commemorate the World Environment Day. It hopes to reduce plastic bags by approximately 5 million over a period of two years.
Regular Beach Cleanups are held with the participation of a large number of DFCC Staff and their families.
The Bank regularly conducts an e-Waste initiative which commenced in 2017, encouraging staff to bring their e-waste helping to ease the issue of garbage disposal. This waste is collected by an approved e-waste recycling company.
A “Plastic Recycling Day” was organised by the Sustainability Unit at the DFCC Bank Head Office in September 2018. In addition to plastic bottles and containers which were at the bank premises, many staff brought discarded plastic items from their homes. The collected plastic items were sent to a Plastic Recycling Plant. The main purpose of organising this event was to create awareness amongst our employees about the importance of using less plastic products and educating them on how to discard them in an environmentally friendly manner.
