HNB has been awarded the ISO 14064 certification by the Sri Lanka Climate Fund, recognizing the country’s leading private bank’s commitment to quantify, report, and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
This follows an independent assessment of the entire organization, including the head office of HNB and its 252 branches across the island, performed following the globally recognized ISO 14064-3:2018 specification.
HNB also carried out an organization-wide assessment of its GHG inventory, performed by Climate Smart Initiatives, following ISO 14064-1: 2018 specification. This revealed a carbon footprint of 9,592 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent for the 2021 calendar year for ‘operationally controlled business activities falling under the bank’s purview.
Following the audit, HNB was awarded a ‘Carbon Conscious Certificate’. “Adopting a scientific, globally-recognized methodology to verify the carbon emissions of the entire bank paves the way for HNB to accurately assess and improve our environmental sustainability performance each year,” Dilshan Rodrigo, Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer, HNB said. “Climate change, caused by excessive greenhouse gas emissions, creates challenges both locally and globally. It’s important that the private sector steps up to tackle this critical issue and that we do so in a scientific and concerted manner to achieve meaningful results.”
The verification of HNB’s GHG emissions will be carried out annually, allowing the bank to benchmark its performance and implement cohesive strategies to reduce its carbon footprint.
The bank has accordingly formulated a ‘carbon management plan’ as part of its efforts to achieve ISO 14064 – a global initiative that seeks to combat climate change by reducing GHG emissions.
HNB has already implemented a series of comprehensive environmental sustainability measures that focus on reducing the bank’s carbon footprint and supporting organizations and projects operating in sectors like renewable energy. The bank’s renewable energy portfolio, including funding provided to solar, mini-hydro, and wind power projects, now exceeds 7.3 billion rupees. As part of its ‘Climate Smart Initiatives,’ each bank employee undertakes the ‘HNB Green Pledge,’ through which they pledge to integrate environmentally-friendly practices into their daily activities both at work and at home. The initiative, continues to educate employees on environmental responsibility and garners support for various initiatives by the bank to address climate change.
