2016 Annual Report

egional australia bank annual report
regional australia bank annual report
18
planet goals
19
“OUR GOAL IS TO BE A RECOGNISED
LEADER IN CORPORATE SOCIAL
RESPONSIBILITY. WE DEMONSTRATE
THIS THROUGH OUR OWN CONDUCT,
AS WELL AS INSPIRING AND EMPOWERING
OUR MEMBERS TO MAKE ETHICAL DECISIONS.”
OUR SUSTAINABILITY VISION
Our vision is that Regional Australia will define what it
means to be; at the heart of our community. We will
celebrate being regional, and demonstrate what the
added value of being more connected to each other
can bring to our members, our communities and
the environment. The success of our business will be
determined by how well we extend compassion, and
share our passion to be, the champions for regional
prosperity. We will be a beacon - a regionally owned and
operated ‘community chest,’ that will be a conduit for
connecting people and a model for creating better and
more sustainable places to live.
OUR SUSTAINABILITY POSITION
Regional Australia Bank is deeply connected to its
communities in regional Australia because we are wholly
owned by regional Australians. This ownership means
that we understand the connectivity between each other,
our communities and the environment. Our goal is to be
a recognised leader in Corporate Social Responsibility
and we demonstrate this through our own conduct and
approach managing our environmental impact, as well as
inspiring and empowering our customers to make
ethical decisions. To this end, we aim to ensure the long
term prosperity of our members and our communities.
We prefer to focus on investing in clean technologies
while minimising our own impact on the environment and
maximising our social input and returns to our regional
communities.
GOAL: TO BECOME A
LEADER IN CORPORATE
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Result: Achieved
Our programs and initiatives continue to adapt to the
ever-changing environment and business landscape;
substantially contributing to the environment and the
communities in which we exist. Our ongoing commitment
and passion is reinforced by our grassroots approach
to disadvantaged youth in regional Australia. The
effectiveness of the countless initiatives undertaken to
minimise our environmental footprint can be reflected in
our progression in the Sustainability Advantage Program,
soon to be eligible for a Silver accreditation.
ENVIRONMENTAL ACHIEVEMENTS
• Major supporter of Macquarie Riversmart and the
Wetland Education program in Narromine which
educates communities about the river, its ecosystems
and the importance of its preservation.
• Proud supporter of Z-NET in partnership with Starfish
Initiatives; a pioneering initiative designed to make the
town of Uralla the first in Australia to meet all of its own
energy needs from renewable sources.
• Continued involvement with the Northern Inland
Sustainability Business Network (NISBN).
• For every member that switches to Online Statements,
we donate $1 to Landcare NSW that is distributed
amongst local Landcare groups. To date, we have
donated almost $12,000, which has benefited
various conservation, biodiversity and education
based programs vital to the future health of our local
environments.
• Established a ‘Green Team’ composed of select staff
members who will be responsible for championing
sustainable initiatives throughout our network.
• Established and engaged with sector based
benchmarking measures with other like-minded
customer owned banking institutions.
• Supporter of Citizens Wildlife Corridors, Sustainable
Living Armidale, Northern Tablelands Wildlife Carers
and the Armidale Tree Group and Macquarie River
‘River Smart’.