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From 2012, ING Car Lease only wants to purchase vehicles in the Netherlands that are below the threshold of 120 grams CO2 emission per kilometre on average. As a comparison, the emissions of the vehicles purchased by ING Car Lease in 2009 emitted an average of 148 grams CO2 per kilometre.
This objective is based on the ‘Cleaner Car Contracts’ initiative of the Stichting Natuur en Milieu (Nature and Environment Foundation) where the vanguard in the lease sector demonstrates that car fleets can be more economical and more environmentally friendly than required by virtue of European rules. ING Car Lease decided to opt for the highest ambition level in terms of pushing back CO2 emissions, which means it obtained the Gold Fleet status.
How sustainability can be better incorporated into Small and Medium level businesses was the theme of a series of workshops hosted by ING in November in Hilversum, The Hague and Den Bosch. Participants of these ‘Financial Information Evenings (Financiele Informatie Avonden) were local entrepreneurs who are also Business Banking customers of ING Retail Bank, Netherlands.
Through the workshops, ING’s objective is to highlight that environmental, social and economic challenges present not only risks but also opportunities as demand for sustainable products and services rises. The evenings serve as a platform for the entrepreneurs to discuss the challenges they face when moving their own business towards a more sustainable model. For the entrepreneurs this is also a great opportunity to network with other like minded entrepreneurs with an interest in sustainability.
A significant part of our environmental footprint is caused by our use of paper. We use large quantities of paper for both internal and external communication purposes. To reduce our impact on the environment we are taking measures worldwide to reduce our use of paper and promote recycling. In the Netherlands ING recently launched various initiatives to cut the amount of paper it uses.
These include no longer sending paper statements to ING customers who actively use internet banking to manage their payment and savings accounts from September 2009. Customers who still wish to receive printed monthly statements can do so by filling in an online request. Click here for more information on this initiative (in Dutch only).
Furthermore, from mid-2009 customers will no longer be sent a printed manual when they open a savings account. This initiative eliminates the need for around 1,440,000 manuals on an annual basis.
Both initiatives represent combined annual savings of about 33,520,000 sheets of paper.