Charity Bank launches Green Loan offers in response to climate crisis and in support of its updated Vision Statement
GABV member Charity Bank, the loans and savings bank for charities and social enterprises, today published its revised vision statement with an increased emphasis on responding to climate change. Their refreshed vision statement calls for a society that fosters vibrant communities and a healthy planet, enabling every individual to thrive. In support of their updated vision, Charity launched two green loan offers rewarding charities and social enterprises for using loan finance to buy or build an energy-efficient building or to improve the energy efficiency of their existing property.
"Charity Bank was built on the belief that positive impact should be at the heart of everyday banking. For 20 years we have supported charities and social enterprises that care for people as well as the planet. Given the evolving needs of the social sector and the people and communities they serve, now is the time to ask what more can we do? During 2021, we undertook a review of Charity Bank’s vision, mission, and values statements in consultation with a range of stakeholders, including shareholders, board directors, our co-workers, and our customers. These refreshed declarations serve to sharpen our focus on positive social change as Charity Bank’s primary motivation. The addition of ‘healthy planet’ to our vision statement is worthy of note. Climate change is possibly the greatest social challenge facing our society today; therefore, a healthy planet merits explicit mention as one of our core aspirations.”, says CEO Ed Siegel.
This follows last year's commitment to assessing and disclosing the greenhouse gas emissions of their financed projects by joining "The Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials (PCAF)", and earlier this year, joining investors in the environment (iiE) with a commitment to assess, disclose, and reduce their direct environmental impact.