Green products and services

In 2019, the Group's disbursements for the Green Economy totalled 1,419 million euro (almost 20 billion in the 2010-2019 period).

Retail customers

The Bank supports the green projects of Retail customers through the provision of loans and mortgages for environmental purposes. These loans include the replacement of fixtures and high-performance boilers, the renovation of buildings from an energy efficiency perspective, the purchase of environmentally-friendly vehicles and the installation of solar and photovoltaic panels. In line with the attention to the green world, Intesa Sanpaolo participates in the EeMAP (Energy efficient Mortgages Action Plan) project, a European initiative that aims to create a standardised energy efficient mortgage, with a view to encouraging the redevelopment of buildings and the purchase of highly efficient properties through preferential financial conditions, sharing the association's criteria on green issues. In this context, initiatives dedicated to green financing will be launched in 2020 to encourage both the purchase of high energy efficiency properties and the redevelopment of the existing real estate assets.  
“Valorizzazione Immobiliare”, an ancillary service to loans, seeks to support customers who intend to invest in their homes through energy redevelopment and restructuring works, providing free information on tax benefits and savings on energy bills, as well as to support the best loan and home protection solutions. Customers can also take advantage of discounts on the services offered by partners of the initiative which operate in the energy savings and redevelopment sectors. Among the insurance products that aim to cover customers' insurance needs in the Family, Health and Property areas, the “XME Protezione” insurance cover, places special emphasis on protection against natural disasters, offering protection from damage caused by atmospheric events such as floods and cloudbursts. Over 76,000 “XME Protezione” policies with flood coverage were taken out at the end of 2019.
In the segment of motor insurance products, the “ViaggiaConMe” policy with consumption-based plan provides for a premium linked to the kilometres travelled during the year: once the defined threshold has been exceeded, the premium to be paid will be integrated based on the additional kilometres travelled. The proposed solution therefore discourages the use of vehicles, with potential positive impacts on the environment.

Third Sector

Intesa Sanpaolo has continued to support non-profit companies that wish to invest in energy efficiency projects with solutions that make it possible to save on energy costs and increase the overall sustainability of the company's activity.

Businesses

The range of financing products for companies is divided into several products and solutions. 
These include the Finanziamento Energia Imprese (businesses energy loan), which is designed to support investment plans focused on the development of efficient energy production plants and diversifying energy sources and/or streamlining consumption, as well as the Finanziamento Energie Rinnovabili (renewable energy loan), created for the construction of new plants for the production of renewable energies other than photovoltaic energy, such as biomass and small-scale wind energy. Since the beginning of 2019, the “Finanziamento Condominio” product has been restyled, providing greater flexibility, in line with tax incentives (such as Ecobonus and Sismabonus) envisaged for the restructuring of the condominium common areas, extending its duration up to 10 years.
Intesa Sanpaolo, through former Mediocredito Italiano, continued to support businesses that invest in renewable energy production plants and in the energy efficiency of their production processes, providing dedicated financial solutions and specialist advisory services. All loans, overseen step by step by the specialist Energy Desk, are always preceded by an appraisal in support of the Bank’s credit assessment. 
Relevant is the role of the Corporate and Investment Banking Division and IMI Bank for environmental sustainability, through the provision of forms of support aimed at supporting large Italian and international companies in their projects transitioning to a low-carbon economy and/or projects aimed at supporting investment plans aimed at building efficient energy production plants, diversifying energy sources and/or rationalizing consumption. Various forms of financing are available, such as: Green Revolving Credit Facilities, Green Syndicated Loans, Green/Sustainable Bonds (e.g. SDG-Linked or Climate Change) and Project Finance dedicated to the world of renewable energy (wind, photovoltaic, biomass, water).

During 2019, the Corporate and Investment Banking Division participated, as a Bookrunner, in 12 Green, Social and SDG-linked Bond issues onto the Euro market, including the issue of the Intesa Sanpaolo Group Sustainability Bond, thus confirming its role among the leading players on the Italian market. Banca IMI, acting as Global Coordinator, Bookrunner, Mandated Lead Arranger and Green Coordinator in pool with other banks, last November signed with Italo, leader in Europe in the high-speed railway transportation sector, the largest-ever Green Loan in Italy and the largest worldwide in the transportation sector. The loan, worth 1.1 billion euro, envisages bonus-award mechanisms for the company linked to sustainability principles. As part of the transaction, Banca IMI entered into a further agreement with Italo to cover the loan (ESG Linked Hedging) which will reward the virtuous conduct of the transport company, improving the conditions of the derivative if certain ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) sustainability indicators are complied with.

 

Green loans

The Circular Economy is fundamental for economic development that generates a positive environmental and social impact. The circular model is based on the redesign of industrial processes and business models to generate economic and competitive advantage for companies, with a regenerative approach towards natural capital. Its objectives include the generation of a virtuous cycle in the use of resources, overcoming the linear model which involves extraction, production, sale and waste. The Intesa Sanpaolo Group confirmed its commitment to the Circular Economy by promoting the spread of the model, drawing on the support of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the main promoter of the global transition towards the Circular Economy. The 2019-2021 three-year cooperation agreement has been renewed, confirming Intesa Sanpaolo's role as Global Partner of the Foundation. Intesa Sanpaolo will continue to redefine business strategies in an innovative way, ensuring financial support for investments to facilitate the redesign of the industrial system. The activity is considered of primary importance for the Group and is indicated as a strategic pillar within the 2018-2021 Business Plan.

The transition to a Circular Economy continued, also with the contribution of the Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center, a Group company which oversees all the Circular Economy activities.

The Circular Economy Lab was launched in 2018 in Milan, thanks to a Framework Agreement between Intesa Sanpaolo and Fondazione Cariplo, and followed by a strategic partnership between Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center and Cariplo Factory, with the goal of supporting and assisting the transformation of the Italian economic system and disseminating new models of value creation in the collective interest, by accelerating the transition to the Circular Economy.

In order to provide concrete support to companies involved in the transition process, the Intesa Sanpaolo Group, within the time-frame of the 2018-2021 Business Plan, has decided to provide a credit plafond of up to 5 billion euro, aimed at companies which adopt the circular model with innovative procedures, granting the best conditions for accessing credit. In particular, as part of the credit process, Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center, based on criteria connected with investments in the Circular Economy defined together with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, is responsible for providing a technical assessment on the level of circularity of the initiatives proposed.

Out of a total of around 250 applications reviewed since the launch of the credit plafond, 63 projects were funded for a value of around 760 million euro at the end of 2019. Numerous company projects were supported for initiatives such as the replacement of traditional materials with others from recycled or biological sources, the recovery of urban organic waste for biomethane production, with the production of compost and recovery of CO₂, the production of coloured compostable fabrics with dyes made from agricultural waste. 
During the year, the circular assessment of businesses along their value chain also continued (around 100 businesses were interviewed) through the use of the Circular Economy Standard, an instrument used to measure the level of circularity. In 2019, with regards to start-ups (see page 86), the Start-Up Initiative continued, which selects the most promising innovative start-ups, prepares them to face the market with coaching initiatives, and introduces them to the players of the innovation ecosystem. The selection process was integrated together with the circularity criteria in the overall assessment. Two Italian start-ups in the bioeconomy and fashion sectors were awarded as Circular Economy success stories.

Intesa Sanpaolo's commitment to the Green Economy is also achieved through the issuance of bonds dedicated to supporting environmental sustainability projects.