Responsible Consumption
The economic and social progress of the last century was accompanied by environmental degradation that endangered the ecosystems on which our lives are dependent. Awareness of sustainability gives countries and societies the opportunity to develop recovery plans that can reverse the present trend and change our consumption and production models for a more sustainable future.
Global consumption is the driving force of the world economy, but it causes natural resources to be used in destructive ways that harm the planet. Yapı Kredi acts in line with the ethos of sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources. The Bank prioritizes offering innovative and sustainable products to prevent waste in the agriculture sector - which has a share of more than 70% of our country's total water consumption - and to ensure the effective use of water in this sector. Yapı Kredi offers a variety of products in agricultural banking, including the financing of smart irrigation systems. Click here for detailed information on the Bank's agricultural banking products.
Yapı Kredi also closely monitors the water consumption of its operational processes and realizes various projects to reduce it. In this context, Yapı Kredi received the ISO 14046 Direct Water Footprint Certificate for its Head Office and service buildings in 2019, becoming the first financial institution in Turkey to achieve this standard.
In terms of operational activities, Yapı Kredi takes action to reduce carbon emissions via renewable electricity supplies and investments in energy efficiency. In this context, Yapı Kredi aims to neutralize its Scope 1 and Scope 2 absolute carbon emissions by 2022.
The Bank is taking steps to reduce waste generation significantly through prevention, reducing, recycling, and reusing, and to ensure environmentally sensitive management of waste throughout the lifecycle. With the innovative investment alternatives and digital processes offered to both employees and customers, Yapı Kredi strives for the elimination of the use of paper in a number of transactions. Yapı Kredi has banned the use of single-use plastics in its head office, service buildings, and branches through the “Reducing Single-Use Plastics” project which aims to eliminate plastic pollution, one of the most significant environmental problems.
With the “Simple as the World” series, in which expert guests participate, Yapı Kredi aims to address the issue of consumption with a focus on simplification. In order to prevent impulsive consumption and to raise awareness of the issue, the Bank shared information with its customers about how simplification at home can impact our lives, how to use the method of simplifying time, and how to do smart shopping. The series is published in four episodes: home, time, shopping, and table and Yapı Kredi’s aim is for it to encourage individuals to reconsider their mental and physical consumption habits.
You can find more information about Sustainability at Yapı Kredi here.