06/03/2024. PT Bank Negara Indonesia (Persero) Tbk or BNI has won two ESG implementation awards as a form of consistency in environmental, social and governance concerns.
BNI successfully won two categories, namely Most Appreciated ESG Report and ESG Lowest Risk at the ESG Appreciation Night event from B Universe.
The Most Appreciated ESG Report category was awarded to the top 20 companies that comprehensively disclose ESG information in their reports. BNI emerged as the winner from 21 nominations.
In the meantime, the ESG Lowest Risk category was given to companies with the lowest ESG risk. This means BNI has managed risks related to environmental, social and governance aspects very well, and was recognized as one of the 20 companies with the lowest ESG risk in the stock market.
In addition, BNI also won The Excellent Sustainable Communication Company in Financial Sector at the Nusantara Sustainability Trend (NATURE) 2024 event with the theme “Embracing Humans and Environment in Harmony” from Nusantara TV.
BNI was considered consistent in making innovations and breakthroughs in communicating sustainability programs so that the public is educated with a wider reach.
BNI Corporate Secretary Okki Rushartomo said the three awards were proof of BNI's commitment to internalizing the principles of sustainable finance.
“As a state-owned bank that is the driving force for implementing Sustainable Finance in Indonesia, BNI continues to be committed to internalizing the principles of sustainable finance,” he mentioned.
Okki explained that BNI has carried out various initiatives as the first mover in implementing Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) in the banking sector.
One of the initiatives taken is to set a Net Zero Emission (NZE) target for BNI's operational activities in 2028 and NZE financing in 2060.
In terms of operations, BNI has calculated scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions at the head office, regional offices, and branch offices in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol standard.
To minimize emissions, BNI will strengthen energy efficiency efforts at the regional and branch levels, as well as improve waste management processes to reduce waste to landfill.
In terms of financing, BNI continues to strive to increase green loan financing, where in 2023 financing in this category will reach IDR 67.9 trillion or grew by 13.6% from the position in December 2022.
“In encouraging the growth of this green loan, BNI has also set interest relief incentives specifically for 4 green loan categories such as renewable energy, environmentally friendly transportation, environmentally friendly buildings, and natural resource management,” he concluded.
As evidence of BNI's success in sustainability management, during 2023 BNI also managed to obtain Rating A from MSCI and Medium Risk Rating from Sustainalytics with a score of 21.4.