Download Microfinance Seminar Utrecht University

Why is CSR (Corporate Social
Responsibility) so important?
• The continuity (survival) of our Planet Earth is
in danger;
• As citizens, as well as in our private life as in
our functional role, we are responsible for the
continuity (survival) of ‘Mother Earth’.
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Rabobank Groep
• We need another way of thinking and acting as
citizens (private individuals);
• The priority has to be avoiding causes of
problems in stead of fighting with the
consequences of our own behaviour/attitude.
For example: we are fighting with the
consequences of climate change in stead of
avoiding the causes (f.e. producing less CO2emission)
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Rabobank Groep
What could be the role of the Financial
Sector in relation to CSR?
• The Financial Sector means: banks, insurance
companies, pension funds and asset managers;
• Developing new products and services for their
clients to contribute to CSR-behaviour;
• Partnering in covenants, alliences, partnerships
et cetera in achieving CSR-goals;
• Developing sectoral guidelines, conditions et
cetera for credit policies.
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Rabobank Groep
What kind of products and services?
• Green financing;
• Sustainable/ethical asset management;
• Incurance polices;
• For the carbon market:
- trading in tradable emission rights;
- financing of/investing in bio-energy products.
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Rabobank Groep
Is CSR real business and commercial
‘viable’?
YES!!
• Being frontrunner in stead of follower in
developing new markets by selling these new
products and services related to CSR means a
commercial advantage;
• If citizens as consumers are using their
‘market-power’ they can play an important role
in changing market positions of companies, of
course also within the financial sector.
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Rabobank Groep
CSR is (also) ‘managing dilemma’s’!
• Long term goals versus those at short term;
• High financial returns versus ‘social’ returns;
• Ethical norms and standards versus ‘dealdriven business’.
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Rabobank Groep
How do we organise (and execute) CSR within
Rabobank?
Corporate
Social Responsibility
Division
Staff
Green
Banking
• Green Management
• Rabo Green Bank
• Rabo Innovation Capital
Fund
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Funds
Sustainable
Developments
• (Strategic) Sustainable
Developments
• Internal Environmental
Care
• Sustainable Asset
Management
• Climate Change
Rabobank
Foundation
(international)
• Secretariat
• Communications
• Control
Ethics and Issue
Management
Societal
Funds
• Rabobank
Foundation
(national)
• Project Fund
for member
issues
• Herman Wijffels
Fund
Rabobank Groep