Inclusion and sustainability
UniCredit Bank Austria saves enough electricity to power entire community by remarketing used IT equipment
- The bank has been a key partner of IT remarketing company AfB for ten years
- In 2020 alone, UniCredit Bank Austria saved enough electricity to supply 719 households, enough water to supply 28 households and the CO2 emissions equivalent of a 33,500-km journey in a diesel car by donating 4728 items of IT equipment and mobile devices
- A total of 34 employees with disabilities reconditioned or recycled some 65,400 items of IT equipment and mobile devices at AfB Austria in 2020
- Schools and non-profit organisations received 2300 of the items
"Our commitment to the sustainable development of the society in which we operate is a long-term strategy for us", says Robert Zadrazil, CEO of UniCredit Bank Austria. "This is precisely why we embrace initiatives such as AfB (Arbeit für Menschen mit Behinderung), which is about finding work for people with disabilities. Their approach is to combine social commitment, e.g. by providing low-cost IT equipment for schools, with the inclusion of people with disabilities and climate protection. We are proud to have been a consistent and reliable partner to AfB Austria since this important initiative was founded more than ten years ago."
Used IT equipment protects the environment, creates jobs and facilitates education
AfB processed and remarketed a total of 65,400 items of IT equipment in Austria in 2020. Some 68 employees were involved in the work, 34 of whom have disabilities.
The 4728 items donated by UniCredit Bank Austria resulted in the following resource savings:
- Electricity savings equivalent to 7138 average four-person households since 2011 (719 households in 2020).
- Water savings equivalent to 289 average four-person households since 2011 (28 households in 2020).
- A reduction in greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to a 329,000-km journey in an average diesel car since 2011 (33,500 km in 2020).
A total of 2300 reconditioned items of IT equipment were supplied to schools and non-profit organisations.
AfB Austria: Leading non-profit organisation in the IT sector for 10 years
AfB gemeinnützigen GmbH was founded in Germany in 2004, with AfB Austria following in Austria in 2011. AfB employs people with and without disabilities to produce high-quality IT services and products. The company follows a dual purpose of operating in a cost-effective and environmentally responsible manner.
AfB is now Europe's biggest non-profit IT company and its vision, with the tagline "social & green IT", is to become the leading non-profit company in the global IT sector. AfB's work was recognised at the 2021 Zero Project Conference, and UniCredit Bank Austria has been on board since the company was founded.
"Bank Austria is one of AfB's key partners and plays a major role in helping AfB to achieve its social and environmental goals", says Kurt Essler, Managing Director of AfB Austria, marking the tenth anniversary of the collaboration. "I would like to express my sincere gratitude for this long-standing partnership."
Inclusion and sustainability more important than ever during a pandemic:
"With our own Disability Management team our goal is to provide the best possible support to both our customers with disabilities and our employees with disabilities. We also place a lot of emphasis on keeping our environmental footprint to a minimum and transitioning to a sustainable economy. That was the case before the crisis and it still holds true today", says Zadrazil.
With this in mind, even during the coronavirus crisis UniCredit Bank Austria continued to focus its full efforts on its commitment to people with disabilities and on providing support for climate-friendly business models:
- Funding for social projects was maintained or even increased, as was the case with the Bank Austria Social Prize (to a total of EUR 90,000). A total of more than EUR 200,000 has been allocated to various social projects.
- UniCredit Bank Austria has continued to create the best possible environment for its 288 employees with disabilities, even during the crisis.
- The UniCredit Bank Austria "inclusion loan" gives anyone with an Austrian disability pass showing a disability status of 50% or higher or a card issued by Hilfsgemeinschaft der Blinden und Sehschwachen, the Austrian charity for the blind and visually impaired, the opportunity to finance the purchase of support resources at a very attractive rate of 1.5% interest and with no processing fees.
- UniCredit Bank Austria sets a good benchmark when it comes to climate protection. Greenhouse gas emissions were reduced by 85% between 2008 and the end of 2020, and waste by 90%. Since the start of 2020, almost 100% of the bank's electricity has been sourced from renewable energy sources. In autumn 2020, UniCredit Bank Austria was once again recognised by the Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology for its efforts to minimise its own environmental impact, being named a flagship company in the context of the klimaaktiv pakt2020.
- In August 2020, a collaboration agreement was concluded with WWF Austria, under the terms of which WWF is supporting Bank Austria in setting sustainability targets for the lending portfolio.
More information about the AfB Austria offering can be found at: afb-group.at.
For an overview of UniCredit Bank Austria's Social Impact Banking activities, please click here.
Enquiries:
UniCredit Bank Austria Press Office
Volker Moser, Tel.: +43 (0)5 05 05 52854
Email: volker.moser@unicreditgroup.at