INTESA SANPAOLO’S COMMITMENT TO ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY

Intesa Sanpaolo has always focused on sustainability, a commitment that was reaffirmed in the 2018-2021 Business Plan and that has earned the Group several awards, among which inclusion in numerous sustainability indices: it is the only Italian bank included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices and in the "2021 Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World Index" by Corporate Knights; it ranks first among European banks in three of the main international ESG assessments – MSCI, Sustainalytics and Bloomberg ESG Disclosure Score; Intesa Sanpaolo is also included in the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI), scoring well above the average for the global financial sector and Italian companies in 2021, and is the only Italian bank to be included in Refinitiv's Diversity & Inclusion Index, which selects the 100 best listed companies in the world for diversity and inclusion.

Environmental sustainability

The Group’s commitment to environmental sustainability has meant that measures to limit its CO2 emissions (-60% since 2008) have continued thanks to a multi-year action plan, and Intesa Sanpaolo's ongoing offer of green financial products and services, with funding of approximately 2.5 billion euro put towards supporting the Green Economy and Circular Economy. In June 2017, it was the first Italian bank to issue a green bond, for a total amount of 500 million euro, for the financing of projects particularly focused on renewable energy and energy efficiency. The proceeds from the Green Bond have funded 76 projects with an annual savings of approximately 460,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions, equal to more than 2.8 million roundtrip journeys between Milan and Rome by plane (Green Bond Report 2020). Intesa Sanpaolo, in close partnership with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation for the Circular Economy, has also established a 6-billion-euro fund and, together with Fondazione Cariplo, launched the very first circular economy lab in Italy. Furthermore, in 2018, the Eurizon Absolute Green Bonds Fund was launched, the first financial instrument to be set up by an Italian asset manager specialising in global bond markets that enables funding to be provided for environmental projects. In November 2019, Intesa Sanpaolo successfully completed the placement of its first Sustainability Bond of 750 million euro intended to support the loans granted by the Bank as part of the 6-billion-euro fund for the circular economy. In addition, a Green Bond amounting to € 1.25 billion was issued in March 2021, the proceeds of which will cover green loans granted for the construction or purchase of energy-efficient buildings.

Social sustainability

During 2020, the Intesa Sanpaolo Group disbursed over 37 billion euro in new loans for high social impact activities (42.5% of total new loans), 32 billion of which to support the production system during the health emergency, helping to create business and employment opportunities, as well as assisting people in difficulty through various means: micro-credit, anti-usury loans, products and services designed for non-profit associations and organisations, products and services dedicated to the most vulnerable social categories to encourage their financial inclusion, and support loans for people affected by disasters. Intesa Sanpaolo has long recognised the importance of serving non-profit organisations, and in 2020 provided the sector with over 470 million euro in new loans, doubling its commitment from 205 million euro in 2019. Thanks to the Fund for Impact, loans of approximately 1.5 billion euro for groups struggling to access credit will be disbursed. The first initiative revolved around the “per Merito” loan for students living in Italy, that seeks to structurally provide greater access to Italian and international universities, with no need for guarantors. Loans for 90.6 million euro have been disbursed thus far (at 31 December 2020). Two new initiatives were launched in 2020: mamma@work, a highly subsidised loan to help families balance motherhood and employment in the early years of their children's lives, and XME StudioStation, to help families with purchases related to distance learning (€1.2 million disbursed in 2020).

Among the measures taken in response to the Covid-19 emergency, donations of 120 million euro from Intesa Sanpaolo – including those based on the waiver by the Managing Director and CEO and 21 top managers of approximately 6 million euro in bonuses from the 2019 Incentive System – to reinforce Italy's National Health Service through the Department of Civil Protection benefited 16 hospital facilities and two Covid-19 Emergency Centres, resulting in the construction of 36 new wards and 500 beds, primarily in intensive and sub-intensive care.

In 2020, the Intesa Sanpaolo Charity Fund run by the Chairman donated 16 million euro to support non-profit projects. Over 1 million euro has been earmarked for scientific research to combat COVID-19.

A strong commitment to philanthropy to support those facing hardship is key to Italy’s growth. The philanthropic goal became a reality in 2020, with collaboration agreements established with institutions and associations, that are often partners with the Bank, in order to set out medium- and long-term social solidarity projects that have made it possible to provide over 17 million meals, beds, medicines and clothes to people in need since 2018.