The 2022-2025 Business Plan defines specific sustainable actions and introduces, in accordance with European 'sustainable finance' regulations and market trends, objectives to integrate ESG factors into all major credit processes and procedures.

The ESG Credit Policy identifies the approach and general principles of Banca Popolare di Sondrio Group in the integration of environmental, social and governance factors into the loan origination and monitoring process.

  • Sectoral ESG score

    Sectoral ESG score: an assessment conducted through the development of a specific matrix tool which enables the identification and quantification of the potential exposure to ESG liability risk of counterparties based on whether they belong to a specific economic sector

  • Counterparty Climate & Environmental Score

    Counterparty Climate & Environmental Score: calculated automatically with proprietary model through data and information from external info-providers and questionnaires administered directly to the counterparty

The Group, in order to mitigate ESG risks of the counterparties and transactions related to specific Sectors

Sector-eng

or Countries*, has defined the application of general criteria in the credit granting process, including controls and a reinforced decision-making process with the aim of supporting client in the transition towards a more sustainable business.

The Group is active in developing and offering financial products with positive environmental and social impacts.

 

Agricultural sector

We support companies operating in the agricultural sector by providing a complete range of products and services, such as:

Prestito acquisto foraggi

 

 


Loans for the purchase of fodder, to support farms that do not have enough liquidity to cope with the purchases.

contratti di filiera

 

 


Supply chain contracts, to encourage the production, processing, marketing and distribution of agricultural, agri-food and agro-energy products.

finanziamento Melavi

 

 


Financing of the 2022 harvest of Melavì , to allow farmers to collect the receivables due for the apples delivered without having to wait, as it is usually the case, for the beginning of the following season.

  • ESG Credit Policy: legislative framework and guiding principles

    The Policy is structured according to the principles of sustainable finance, outlined at EU and national level by regulations and guidelines, including:

    • Consolidated Law on Financial Intermediation (Legislative Decree No. 58 of 24 February 1998);
    • European Central Bank, “Guidelines on loan origination and monitoring (2020)”;
    • European Central Bank, “Guide on climate-related and environmental risks (2020)”;
    • Regulation EU 852/2020 on the establishment of a framework to facilitate sustainable investments and amending Regulation (EU) 2019/088 (so-call Taxonomy).

     

    The Policy is also inspired by international principles and initiatives, such as:

    • United Nations Global Compact (2000);
    • United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (2015);
    • Paris Agreement on climate change (2015);
    • Good practices for climate-related and environmental risk management (2022) of the European Central Bank;
    • Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) Recommendations (2017);
    • UNEP FI Principle for Responsible Banking (PRB) (2019);
    • EIB eligibility excluded activities and excluded sectors list (2022) of the European Investment Bank.

     

    The main internal regulations related to this Policy include:

    • Code of Ethics;
    • Sustainability Policy;
    • Environmental Policy;
    • Credit process guidelines;
    • Regulation of the loan origination and review process;
    • Regulation of the process of definition and monitoring of credit policies;
    • Counterparty climate and environmental score methodological guide.

* i) counterparties resident in countries with favorable tax treatment; ii) counterparties resident in countries subject to embargo/restriction of goods.