Together towards the Paris climate target (1.5°C target)
Zadrazil: “We support the Green Finance Alliance right from the start. Together we want to bring Austria forward on the path to achieving the climate goals”
- Within the Green Finance Alliance, UniCredit Bank Austria intends to contribute its expertise and to exchange views on an ongoing basis with experts from the Ministry of Climate Protection, the Federal Environment Agency and the financial industry
- UniCredit Bank Austria supports in particular SMEs with its sustainability barometer, which is unique in the industry, and special sustainability loans
- Moreover, in 2021 UniCredit joined the UN-initiated Net-Zero Banking Alliance
Today, 9 May, the Green Finance Alliance, the initiative of the Climate Protection Ministry for future-oriented financial companies, was presented to the public. Members of the Green Finance Alliance take on a pioneering role for climate protection and demonstrate the compatibility of climate protection and sustainable business.
Climate Protection Minister Leonore Gewessler emphasised: “The climate crisis is one of the greatest challenges of our time. We will only succeed in mastering it if we all pull together. For a climate-friendly future and to achieve our climate and energy goals, major investments in climate-friendly projects are needed. The financial industry has an essential role to play in this - they can and must make a significant contribution to the transition to a climate-neutral, resource-saving and climate-friendly economy and society. I am pleased that UniCredit Bank Austria, as one of the first Green Finance Alliance members, is leading the way.”
Robert Zadrazil, CEO of UniCredit Bank Austria: “We support the Green Finance Alliance from the very beginning. On the one hand, by contributing our own expertise. And on the other hand, by continuously exchanging views with experts from the Ministry of Climate Protection, the Federal Environment Agency and the financial industry. Together, we want to move Austria forward on the path to achieving the climate goals.”
This is how UniCredit Bank Austria supports its corporate customers
At the launch event in the “Wiener Börsensäle” halls, Zadrazil also explained how the bank supports its corporate clients in dealing with climate protection and sustainability: “We live in extremely challenging times. And especially now, as the leading corporate bank in Austria, it is crucial for us to support our customers with expertise and advice wherever possible. Our support is particularly aimed at financing necessary investments – and here we also want to enable especially growth projects related to climate protection and sustainability. Because how companies integrate these key topics into their strategy will determine the success or failure of business models in the future.”
Transforming the economy into a climate-friendly and sustainable system
As a strategic financial partner, UniCredit Bank Austria aims to transform the economy into a climate-friendly and sustainable system together with its corporate customers. The bank accompanies businesses on this path – from strategy, financing and advice on subsidies to sustainable investments: On the one hand, it provides comprehensive advice on sustainability strategy, especially to small and medium-sized enterprises, with its “Sustainability Barometer”, which is unique in the Austrian banking industry. On the other hand, it provides the companies with “Sustainability Loans”, for example for measures to reduce carbon emissions.
In 2021 UniCredit joined the UN-initiated Net-Zero Banking Alliance
For the bank, climate protection and sustainability have long been strategic megatopics, as Zadrazil explained with an example from the previous year: “By joining the Net-Zero Banking Alliance, our bank, together with other leading commercial banks across Europe and the world, has committed to implementing the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement and to aligning our loan and investment portfolio to net-zero emissions by 2050 at the latest.”
Green Finance Alliance – joint path towards climate neutrality
“The membership in the Green Finance Alliance offers us an important new platform on the way to jointly achieving the climate goals. And it fits very well with our existing cooperations, for example with WWF Austria or the 'Glacier' initiative,” said Zadrazil.
As a member of the Green Finance Alliance, ambitious companies from the Austrian financial industry voluntarily commit to gradually making their portfolios for investment and lending business as well as in the insurance industry, for underwriting activities with companies, climate neutral, i.e. aligning them with the 1.5°C target of the Paris Climate Agreement. Membership in the Green Finance Alliance offers the opportunity to be among the pioneers. With the ambitious catalogue of criteria, members receive a signpost that accompanies them step by step on their target path. In this way, the Green Finance Alliance contributes to Austria and the EU achieving the agreed climate goals.
Further information on the Green Finance Alliance (in German) at https://www.bmk.gv.at/green-finance/alliance
Enquiries
UniCredit Bank Austria Media Relations
Matthias Raftl, tel.: +43 5 0505-52809;
E-mail: matthias.raftl@unicreditgroup.at