World Environment Day 2023: the initiatives of Intesa Sanpaolo

World Environment Day is celebrated on 5 June, an initiative promoted by the United Nations since 1972. This year's theme is #BeatPlasticPollution, with possible solutions to plastic pollution at the centre.

More than 400 million tonnes of plastic is produced worldwide each year, half of which is designed to be used only once. Of these, less than 10% is recycled. An estimated 19-23 million tonnes end up in lakes, rivers and seas. Today, plastic clogs up landfills, leaks into the ocean and is burned into toxic smoke, making it one of the most serious threats to the planet.

Intesa Sanpaolo continues to make its contribution to the environment, promoting the Day for the fifteenth consecutive year, with various initiatives.

On 5 June at 1.30pm, an Innovation Coffee will be held at the Turin skyscraper, available online and also open to people outside the bank, entitled "Ogyre, an Italian startup that cleans the ocean through a regenerative model of environmental and social value”, with guest Antonio Augeri, co-founder of the start-up Ogyre. To participate in the event you can click on this link https://www.intesasanpaoloinnovationcenter.com/it/news-ed-eventi/eventi/2023/06/innovation-coffee-pulire-mare-rifiuti-modello-circolare-startup-ogyre/

A short podcast will be available on the same page, after the event.

As every year, in addition to a dedicated message on all ATMs in Italy, the banks of the ISBD Division also contribute to disseminating the initiative on their internal and external communication channels. For example, ISPRo, PBZ, ISPBiH, ISPSlo, CIB, Alexbank have launched campaigns for the collection of plastic caps in branches, inviting customers to join, to then deliver the caps to the main NGOs in the area and activate recycling and reuse processes . Furthermore, on the occasion of the day, some banks activated extra promotions on green products, with the commitment to plant a tree for each new product subscribed by customers during the campaign period.

Intesa Sanpaolo is aware of the great impact that its activities can have in the environmental field. One of the tools that also makes it possible to reduce the impact of plastic is support for the circular economy, which the Group has been carrying out since 2015 and confirmed with the 2022-2025 Business Plan, making available 8 billion dedicated credit lines to the Circular Economy over the period of the Plan (in 2022 3.1 billion have already been disbursed) and by renewing the partnership with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and with Cariplo Factory.

Through conscious consumption choices, each of us can make small gestures to help safeguard ecosystems and preserve nature for global well-being.