Bank of the Philippine Islands set a milestone in the country’s sustainable banking operations as its branches in Iloilo Solis and Loyola Katipunan earned Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies certification from International Finance Corp.
As for BPI Loyola Katipunan, PGBI’s assessment confirmed the auditor’s report that its “resource-efficient design will result in reductions of 25 percent in energy, 31 percent in water and 84 percent in materials’ embodied energy compared to a local base case.” In December 2017, BDO launched a $150-million green bond—the first such transaction by a commercial bank in the Philippines. The BDO green bond exclusively financed climate-smart projects, helping contribute to the development of the climate finance market.
It is working to reduce its operational footprint on the environment through energy conservation in its offices and branches and taking environmental protection into account when making lending decisions. It also encouraged the use of paperless processes across its client base and within its organization. The bank also tracks its water consumption across its corporate centers and domestic branches to measure its impact on water scarcity.