RepoRt on - BNP Paribas

NRE indicator - 2009 year Scope for 2009
8. Noise and odour pollution
No complaints relating to noise or odour issues were filed against the Group in 2009.
BNP Paribas Real Estate consistently seeks to limit the environmental impact of its property development
schemes in terms of noise and odour pollution and engages in dialogue with community residents.
Insofar as building infrastructures can be a source of noise pollution, the company selects machines
offering the best available acoustic performance. Specific tests are performed upon completion of
construction and, if required, additional measures are taken to comply with applicable noise regulations.
Locations of air intake and discharge vents are chosen with regard to neighbouring buildings
and dominant wind patterns. Choices concerning building methods, construction machinery
and the manner in which construction waste is managed are made with the objective of minimising
the impact of building work on the immediate environment. Group
9. Waste processing
For the process of collecting toners and ink cartridges, data collection has increased in scope
and been made more reliable. Statistics are now compiled for a scope representing 68% of the Group’s
worldwide NPP headcount. Within this scope, 64% of toner and ink cartridges were collected
for elimination, representing a total of 154,159 units.
142 <strong>RepoRt</strong> on CoRpoRate SoCial and enviRonmental ReSponSibility
Group - 68%
of worldwide NPP
headcount
In France, used toner and ink cartridges continue to be collected by Conibi, the industrial association
of toner cartridge producers. The quantity of cartridges collected amounted to 93,665, representing
64% of the purchased total.
In France, programmes for the collection of paper and paperboard for recycling are also being
expanded. In 2009, all of the wastepaper and paperboard waste collected in head office buildings
was sent for recycling. France
At offices in the Paris region, the Corbeille Bleue company collects and sorts office waste bins.
Paper waste is used for district heating or recycled to make packaging cartons and paper pulp.
The Group’s Paris office buildings are now equipped with dual bins, for paper and all other waste,
and a clause requiring separate collection has been included in cleaning company contracts.
France Paris
region head office
buildings
Outside France, waste paper collection is not being measured for a significant scope.
Regarding the recycling of lighting fixtures, aluminium sockets and the glass from fluorescent light bulbs
used in most offices are recycled and the gas is reprocessed. Group
In France, collection procedures for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) at BNP Paribas SA
are specifically designed to facilitate the measurement of waste flows. France
10. Measures taken to avoid disruption to the biological balance
As a financial institution, the Group’s direct impact on biodiversity is very limited. The key thrusts
of the Group’s efforts to avoid disruption to the biological balance focus on reducing emissions
of greenhouse gases.
As part of its CO 2 survey, the Group identifies processes that could harm the environment — e.g. the use
of refrigerants at its Paris head office buildings — in order to reduce their use.
Test materials for detecting the presence of asbestos in buildings are used in connection
with the asbestos abatement plan. Surveys of materials are carried out before launching any renovation
work in France. Surveys complement the preliminary technical recommendations defined
for BNP Paribas sites and are disseminated to engineers. Air quality and water quality are measured
on a regular basis.
The Group’s project finance business has adopted the Equator Principles, which also help ensure
that these projects are respectful of the environment. Group
State-of-the-art air conditioning systems have been installed: an adiabatic air-cooled chiller, which
combines the closed-tower technique down to 27 °C with misting in humidification spaces thereafter,
has been installed at the Group’s site in Levallois-Perret, and a magnetic-lift centrifugal chiller has been
installed in the rue Bergère building in Paris which was inaugurated in 2009. France