Garanti Bank reprises its role as a CDP Climate Leader in Turkey
On March 27 at the CDP Climate Change Conference, CDP, the world's largest environmental reporting platform announced the 2018 results for Turkey’s Climate Change and Water programs. Garanti Bank sponsored the conference where, as in previous years, it assumed its place among other Turkish CDP leaders receiving their awards.
The Sabancı University Corporate Governance Forum runs the Turkish branch of the CDP, the world's largest environmental reporting platform, and shared Turkey's 2018 results at the CDP Climate Change Conference held at Zorlu PSM. Simone Kaslowski, president of the Turkish Industry and Business Association (TÜSİAD), and CDP’s managing director for Europe, Steven Tebbe, provided the opening speeches to the conference.
As part of Garanti Bank’s firm commitment to the environment and fight against climate change, the bank agreed to be a lead sponsor of the event. In recent years, Garanti Bank has made outstanding efforts in the fight against climate change, which also earned it a place on the Leaders Panel. The panel was moderated by Erik Zeren, Senior Climate and Forest Projects manager for Turkey at AFD (Agence Française de Développement). Participants included Emre Hatem, Garanti Bank director of Corporate Loans and Project Finance; Fatih Özkadı, Arçelik Sustainability and Corporate Affairs manager; and Hakan Karataş, Aselsan Corporate Governance executive vice president. Emre Hatem accepted the Climate Leader award on behalf of the bank.
Commenting on the importance of environmental responsibility, Garanti Bank executive vice president Ebru Dildar Edin said, "We are encouraged to see that the risks associated with climate change are gaining prominence in Turkey’s business world. With changing consumer perceptions – especially the high demands from the younger generation – businesses can no longer take a lax stance on climate change.”
Garanti Bank has made considerable efforts to incorporate environmentally-friendly policies into its internal operations. It also proactively promotes positive action across a number of sectors by encouraging its corporate clients to adopt positive measures.
Edin stressed the changing landscape in Turkey, “CDP’s methodologies become more stringent each year. Nevertheless, Turkey continues to score highly, demonstrating that the local business community is reaching global standards in the fight against climate change. We are proud to take our place, once again, among the Climate Leaders and hope the program continues to grow in coming years.”
CDP, formerly known as the Carbon Disclosure Project, is a non-profit that helps companies, investors, and cities measure their environmental impact so that they can take steps to minimize it.