• Standardised approach to measuring and disclosing greenhouse gas emissions associated with own loan and investment portfolio to be rolled out across the group
• The Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials (PCAF) is a global industry initiative to standardise the measurement and disclosure of greenhouse gas emissions for the financial sector. With more than 140 banks and investors from five continents, the initiative continues to grow in North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa and Asia Pacific.
Since its foundation, the ProCredit group has strived to promote environmentally sensitive economic development in the emerging markets in which it operates. The ProCredit banks are pioneers with regard to integrating climate change considerations into their dealings with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as into their own internal activities.
The ProCredit group, which is mainly active in South Eastern and Eastern Europe, has been reporting transparently for a number of years on various non-financial indicators and sustainability-oriented activities of its business operations in accordance with GRI Standards (“core” option) (2020 ProCredit Impact Report).
The ProCredit banks focus their banking relationships on SMEs that meet stringent ESG standards and that have the greatest potential to create environmentally sustainable wealth and employment in local economies. The banks’ lending activities support, in particular, investments in innovative and green technologies. The green loan portfolio already represents approximately 20% of the group’s total portfolio.
As part of the strategy to address climate change, the ProCredit group developed its own approach to assess the avoidance of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and the energy savings specifically achieved through green investments made by SMEs in emerging markets. Now, implementing the internationally recognised PCAF methodology for the accounting of GHG emissions will further enhance transparency in its communications regarding the sustainability aspects of its total loan portfolio and own investments.
“Economic development in the countries in which we operate generally involves an increasing demand for energy if it is not compensated for by energy-efficient investments or by investments in renewable energies. The implementation of the PCAFs internationally recognised methodology for measuring and disclosing greenhouse gas emissions of our loan portfolio and investments strengthens our own approach, but at the same time integrates our markets into global systems” explains the Management of ProCredit Holding AG & Co KGaA, the parent company of the ProCredit group.
The ProCredit group’s business approach not only aims to reduce its internal and external environmental impact, but also promotes loans and investments that have a positive impact on the environment.
For instance, under the group’s comprehensive exclusion criteria (see Code of Conduct), each lending operation entails an assessment of environmental and social risks as an integral part of the analysis of credit risk. The purpose of this is to minimise risks and assess the potential impact of investments.
For press inquiries, please contact:
Andrea Kaufmann, Group Communications, ProCredit Holding
Tel.: +49 69 951 437 138
E-mail: Andrea.Kaufmann@procredit-group.com
or:
Angélica Afanador, Manager, PCAF Secretariat
E-mail: info@carbonaccountingfinancials.com
About ProCredit Holding AG & Co. KGaA
ProCredit Holding AG & Co. KGaA, based in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, is the parent company of the development-oriented ProCredit group, which consists of commercial banks for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). In addition to its operational focus on South Eastern and Eastern Europe, the ProCredit group is also active in South America and Germany. The company’s shares are traded on the Prime Standard segment of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. The anchor shareholders of ProCredit Holding AG & Co. KGaA include the strategic investors Zeitinger Invest and ProCredit Staff Invest (the investment vehicle for ProCredit staff), the Dutch DOEN Participaties BV, KfW Development Bank and IFC (part of the World Bank Group). As the group’s superordinated company according to the German Banking Act, ProCredit Holding AG & Co. KGaA is supervised on a consolidated level by the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht, BaFin) and the German Bundesbank. Further information is available on the Internet at www.procredit-holding.com.
About the Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials (PCAF)
In September 2019, the Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials (PCAF) was launched globally. Currently, more than 140 banks and investors have joined the PCAF initiative. PCAF participants are working together to develop the Global GHG Accounting and Reporting Standard for the Financial Industry to measure and disclose the greenhouse gas emissions of their loans and investments. In doing so, PCAF participants are taking an important step towards assessing climate-related risks, setting targets in line with the Paris Climate Agreement and developing effective strategies to decarbonise our society. For further information see https://carbonaccountingfinancials.com/.