Corporate Social Responsibility Report 2013
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Corporate Social Responsibility Report 2013 4 Corporate Social Responsibility Report 2013 Contents Letter from the Managing Director - CEO 7 Together for the Environment 43 Systematic Monitoring Corporate Social Responsibility Report Methodology 9 Environmental Actions Alpha Bank and Corporate Social Responsibility 11 Environmental Performance Measurements Reduction of the Environmental Footprint- Energy and Water Long- term Policies, Commitments and Priorities Savings Corporate Governance Recycling of Materials- “Green” Supplies Stakeholders Dialogue and Cooperation in Action Together for the Society 49 Major Developments during 2013- Distinctions Social Contribution Memberships in Associations and Organisations Culture Corporate Social Responsibility: Key Performance Data for 2013 Other Cultural Activities Targets set in the CSR Report 2013 Art Collection Section- Other Activities Sponsorship of Cultural Events- Donations Together for the Market 25 Sponsorship Programme Support of Households Transparency of Social Contribution Support of Businesses Volunteerism Co-funded Investment Programmes Investment and Banking Products International Network 61 Responsible Investments Cyprus Customer Service Romania Communication and Dialogue with our Customers Bulgaria Customer Satisfaction Questionnaire Serbia Customer Satisfaction Survey- ISO 9001: 2008 Albania Responsible Marketing F.Y.R.o.M Responsible Products and Services Transparency of Banking Transactions Independent Limited Assurance Report to Alpha Bank A.E. 67 Together with our People 35 GRI Application Level Check Statement 69 Securing Employment Presentation of Sustainability Disclosures in accordance with Quantitative Data on Human Resources the GRI Standard 71 Educational Level and Training Diversity and Equal Opportunities at Work Dialogue and Labour Rights Health and Safety at the Workplace Caring for our Employees Corporate Social Responsibility Report 2013 5 6 Corporate Social Responsibility Report 2013 Letter from the Managing Director - CEO In June 2013, Alpha Bank was the first Greek bank to proceed successfully with its recapitalisation, thus safeguarding its private character and enhancing Greece’s prospects for economic recovery. During 2013, we continued our significant social work by supporting initiatives that focused on education, volunteerism and the promotion of Greek culture. Examples of the Bank’s initiatives in this domain are the “Χέρι Βοηθείας” - Helping Hand programme for collecting and donating food supplies to families in need and the project “The defacements that hurt”, which involved the restoration and maintenance of sculptures in the Athens city centre, as well as the numerous voluntary social and environmental events organised by the Bank on a regular basis, the most prominent of which is the “Alpha Bank Group Volunteer Day” annual event, which takes place every May in the countries where the Bank is present and attracts more than 1,500 volunteers from the Bank’s personnel. Responsibility and integrity have always been – and will remain – key to our operation and a true reflection of the Bank’s position as a pillar of the Greek banking sector. Demetrios P. Mantzounis Corporate Social Responsibility Report 2013 7 8 Corporate Social Responsibility Report 2013 Corporate Social Responsibility Report Methodology The present Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Report Furthermore, in what concerns the limited assurance of the is the seventh annual CSR Report released as an individual contents of the present Report, the Bank continues to rely on publication by Alpha Bank A.E. (hereinafter “the Bank” or the services of KPMG Advisors AE, a Greek Société Anonyme “Alpha Bank”) and has been prepared in accordance with the and a member firm of the KPMG network of independent internationally recognised reporting guidelines of the Global member firms affiliated with KPMG International Cooperative Reporting Initiative (GRI-G3, www.globalreporting.org). In (“KPMG International”), a Swiss legal entity. Information about addition, the present Report has also taken into consideration KPMG’s work can be found in the last pages of the Report, the principles of AccountAbility’s AA1000 Assurance together with the relevant Assurance Report. Standard (www.accountability21.net), whose foundations In the last few years, the constant changes in the economic are the “inclusion of stakeholder interests in the decision- environment and the significant increase of the Bank’s size making process” (Inclusivity), the “identification of the most and business volumes as a result of the merger with the important issues for the Bank” (Materiality) and the “Bank’s former Emporiki Bank created a new reality for Alpha Bank, in responsiveness to stakeholder needs and expectations” response to which the Bank had to revise its targets. (Responsiveness). The CSR Report 2013 was prepared by a special team of For the fifth consecutive year, in preparing the CSR Report Officers from various Bank Units, under the coordination of the use was also made of the GRI’s Financial Services Sector Corporate Social Responsibility Section. The final drafts were Supplement (GRI-FSSS), the most specialised standard on edited by the Bank’s Corporate Communication. Interested the contents of CSR reports for companies in the banking parties may address their queries, comments and suggestions sector. The selection of the issues which the Bank considers regarding Alpha Bank’s CSR Report 2013 to: to be the most important for its operation was based on this Supplement and on the GRI reporting guidelines. Account was also taken of the trends in addressing CSR-related issues and Corporate Social Responsibility the stakeholders’ need for information, established through ALPHA BANK the Bank’s membership in associations such as the Hellenic 40 Stadiou Street, 102 52 ATHENS Network for Corporate Social Responsibility, and was combined Tel.: 210 326 2431 with information drawn from its internal and external environment and from its interactions with its Stakeholder Fax: 210 326 2439 groups. E-mail: [email protected] Alpha Bank is a Greek Société Anonyme with Banking Operations as its primary activity. The Bank’s registered office is located at 40 Stadiou Street, 102 52 Athens, Greece. The CSR Report 2013 is addressed to all the Bank’s Stakeholders and refers to its activities in Greece during the period from 1 January to 31 December 2013 unless otherwise indicated. The most important challenge in preparing this year’s Report was to establish the basis for reporting the consolidated data which resulted after the acquisition of Emporiki Bank by the Alpha Bank Group. No significant changes were introduced in the scope, boundary or measurement methods with respect to the previous reporting period (i.e. the Bank’s CSR Report 2012). The present publication also includes data for the two previous years (2011 and 2012). However, these refer only to Alpha Bank, as the Bank did not consolidate the Alpha Bank and Emporiki Bank data for these years because of the differences in the data kept and in the measurement methods employed by the two banks. Corporate Social Responsibility Report 2013 9 10 Corporate Social Responsibility Report 2013 Alpha Bank and Corporate Social Responsibility Alpha Bank Group Volunteer Day in Athens Corporate Social Responsibility Report 2013 11 Alpha Bank remains committed to the principles and values that have governed its operation since its very establishment. Its primary goal is to ensure credibility, reliability and efficiency in banking services. In line with this goal, Alpha Bank’s everyday concern is to keep improving its products and services in terms of both quality and quantity and to address all banking needs of its customers in a modern and responsible manner. Long-term Policies, Commitments Corporate Governance and Priorities The strict application of the principles of Corporate Governance, The following commitments are at the core of Alpha Bank’s as defined in the applicable laws and in the other widely corporate social responsibility approach: recognised codes and voluntary standards, is a key pillar of the operation of Alpha Bank. These principles determine • To give priority to Customer service and to the provision of the Bank’s administration, operation and control, safeguard modern and quality-compliant products that meet the needs of the interests of its Shareholders and other Stakeholders and its customer base and of the market in general. ensure transparency in its operations. • To ensure Employee satisfaction through a modern system of compensations and benefits, working conditions and Alpha Bank adopted in 1994 and has since been applying equal opportunities for career development, free from all the principles of Corporate Governance, seeking to ensure discrimination. transparency in the communications with its Shareholders and to provide investors with prompt and continuous • To participate in, contribute to and support Greek social and information. In this context, the Bank adopted the separation cultural life. of the Chairman’s duties from those of the Managing Director - CEO, and the independence of the majority of the Members • To constantly develop and enhance its policy on the of its Board of Directors. It has also established a Compliance protection of the environment by offering “green products” and Division and has adopted a Corporate Governance Code by applying policies aimed at reducing the Bank’s energy and and a Code of Ethics, developed to promote the standards