The FINANCIAL — As a part of the ProCredit group, ProCredit Bank Georgia has been in the banking business for more than 18 years.
The bank focuses mainly on providing financial services to small and medium-sized businesses with long-term business plans. ProCredit Bank Georgia was awarded a rating of BB/Stable by Fitch Ratings, which is not only the highest rating in Georgia, but is also one notch above the sovereign rating. It offers its customers innovative, modern, and convenient banking services and strives to be a reliable business partner.
Promoting environmental awareness and protection and helping to mitigate climate change has always been a matter of concern for the ProCredit group. It is a critical part of their business model – not only in connection with business operations, but also in their day-to-day work. All ProCredit banks set high standards regarding the impact of their staff, clients, and counterparts, as well as the general public, on the environment.
“ProCredit Bank Georgia is committed to improve internal and external environmental performance, which naturally fits with our values and mission to support steady economic development. We aim to act in an environmentally friendly manner and take sustainability and responsible resource management into account. Environmental awareness is, in fact, an integral part of ProCredit`s identity, a group-wide initiative designed to improve our internal and external environmental performance in order to reinforce the wider socially responsible positioning of the group.” Ioseb Rostomashvili, Head of the Environmental Management Unit of ProCredit Bank Georgia, told the FINANCIAL.
“In our daily work, we contribute to ecological sustainability by implementing a comprehensive three-pillar environmental management system (EMS), which is aimed at improving both the internal and external environmental impact of our activities,” said Rostomashvili.
The EMS is implemented uniformlynot only by ProCredit Bank Georgia but by all of the banks of the ProCredit group. It enables the effective management of any potentially negative impacts on society and helps to ensure that direct and indirect environmental impacts are minimised.
Commitment to environmental management and offering green financing is a point of differentiation for the acquisition, retention and deepening of relationships with clients. It also connects directly to the overarching topic of operational efficiency and productivity, which is vital for SMEs (esp. producers) in all markets. Environmental management and green finance fit with the ProCredit approach of proactively building long-term client relationships.
“ProCredit Bank Georgia is doing much more than merely designing new types of loans for green purposes – we devote resources to awareness-raising campaigns and regular training sessions for our staff, enabling them to improve the environmental performance of the companies we work with. Comprehensive training for our staff is not only provided at bank level, but also at group level at the ProCredit Academy in Germany. By introducing green finance, we have encouraged many of our clients to make sound investments in environmentally friendly projects. Clients receive comprehensive support from us in the form of both financial and human advice,” said Rostomashvili.
ProCredit Bank Georgia offers three categories of green loans consisting of investments in energy efficiency (EE), renewable energy (RE), and other investments that have a beneficial impact on the environment (Gr). The ProCredit group defines an EE investment as one that improves a client’s energy efficiency, for example, the installation of more efficient equipment to achieve significant energy savings. ProCredit Bank Georgia supports for example investments in renewable energy technologies, primarily in solar water heaters; photovoltaic installations; small hydropower plants and wind power turbines; as well as biogas and biomass applications. Investments that are inherently environmentally friendly and help conserve the quality and availability of natural resources are covered under the Gr category.
“We aim to work with businesses whose activities don’t harm the environment or the health, safety and well-being of their staff and neighbours. Above all, we strive to acquire clients who make positive contributions to the environment. Before issuing loans, the bank closely examines the business by evaluating social and/or economic risks, in order to find out whether these risks pose a potential threat to the environment. Our Business Client Advisors then give clients valuable advice,” said Rostomashvili.
“ProCredit Bank Georgia wants to motivate its clients by setting an example. We promote green business, firstly, through our own actions, such as waste management, eco-standards, electro-mobiles or hybrids. Our electro-mobile loan with its unprecedented conditions is motivation for others to replace their vehicles with environmentally friendly, ecologically sound cars,” Rostomashvili told the FINANCIAL.
To raise customer awareness, ProCredit Bank Georgia started its “Come and See” project. Clients from special lists are invited to share their successful experiences with each other. At B2B meetings clients talk about how our recommendations have helped them to develop their business and achieve their business objectives. The practical and realistic examples given motivate other entrepreneurs. Our management and staff fully comprehend the concept of responsibility towards the environment. In 2016, ProCredit Bank Georgia successfully completed the ISO 14001:2015 certification process. This once again emphasizes the bank’s high degree of commitment towards the environment. ProCredit is the only bank in Georgia to be the holder of this important certificate.
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