A responsible bank

Our Positive Impact Business initiative

Positive Impact Business at BNP Paribas, what does this entail?

Positive Impact Business aims to carry out business by integrating the global and sustainable impact of the activity of the different stakeholders as well as on the environment.

The bank working together for a positive impact

Within the context of this initiative as a responsible business, BNP Paribas commits to having a Positive Impact Business approach. The bank, through its actions as a business, would therefore like to contribute to a better future for our society and our environment.

Having been committed for a while now in initiatives of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), we’ve decided to better coordinate these actions through a transversal programme of Business Commitment.

Each of the bank’s business-lines and functions is instrumental in this initiative of building our positive impact.

1. Our economic responsibility

Providing long-term support to our customers and partners for a positive economy

BNP Paribas in Switzerland, along with the rest of the Group, sets an objective of financing the real economy in an ethical and responsible manner. To this end, we offer funding and investments with a positive impact to advise and support our customers in their contribution to sustainable and fair development.

Supervising environmental, social and governing risks

We have, in addition, put in place rigorous processes for managing environmental, social and governing risks. The most sensitive sectors are especially well supervised thanks to nine sectoral public policies drawn up in consultation with independent experts.

2. Our social responsibility

Promoting diversity and inclusion

Our greatest resource is our employees. Diversity, equality and inclusion are the star commitments of the Group, which are reflected in our values.

This is reflected in its proactive initiatives and commitments in five major areas:

• Professional equality between women and men
• Disability
• Multiculturalism and diversity of origins
• Gender and LGBTQIA+
• Age and intergenerational relations

BNP Paribas in Switzerland pays special attention, among other things, to the parity man-woman in terms of promotions. And for the second consecutive year, BNP Paribas in Switzerland has received the Swiss LGBTI-Label, reflecting our strong commitment to Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) within our corporate culture. 

Encouraging the balance between professional and personal life and development

As a responsible employer, BNP Paribas is active in the development of its employees thanks to a professional path that’s dynamic and personalised.

We value new working methods which combine agility and innovation. As such, employees benefit from a positive professional environment, which protects their health and the balance between their professional and personal life.

3. Our civic responsibility

Working towards cultural inclusion and education

BNP Paribas is a player engaged in society. As a banker, an employer or a sponsor, we multiply initiatives in favour of social inclusion, promotion of Human Rights, education and culture.

Our employees are committed

In Switzerland, the bank encourages its employees to become voluntarily involved in local or international associations. In 2024, the bank therefore offered more than 2’700 hours to employees for voluntary assignments such as:

• Helping with the integration of migrants,
• Contributing to developing entrepreneurship with young people,
• Supporting the wheelchair tennis tournament, the Swiss Open Geneva,
• Preservation of the environment.

4. Our environmental responsibility

Towards a Net-Zero economy,

Reducing the use and dependence of our societies on fossil fuels is a necessity. For several years, BNP Paribas has been supporting its clients in their transition and has made significant, quantified, and dated commitments to finance a carbon-neutral economy by 2050.

The Group is thus engaged in an orderly and progressive movement away from fossil fuels and announced in January 2023 its decision to massively reduce its support for oil and gas exploration and production.

In 11 years, we have moved from 90% of financing for fossil fuel production and 10% for low carbon to 65% towards low-carbon and 35% towards fossil fuels in 2023. In February 2024, BNP Paribas advanced its goal by two years to increase the share of low-carbon financing in the Group’s energy production funding to 80%, now set for 2028. By 2030, the target is to reach 90%. In May, the Group announced in its 2023 Climate Report new portfolio alignment targets for 2030 for three additional sectors: aviation, maritime transport, and commercial real estate.

Supporting businesses for a positive and sustainable impact

In 2024, BNP Paribas was the global number one for the placement of green bonds (source Bloomberg) and by 2025 will commit 200 billion euros to support its large corporate clients in their transition to a low carbon economy.

In Switzerland, our support is demonstrated by the assistance we provide to innovative companies to grow on a global scale, such as Climeworks, a Swiss company founded in 2009 that develops and improves its technology for removing carbon dioxide from the air to mitigate climate change.

For BNP Paribas, leading the transition can therefore only be done collectively. On one hand internally, through its teams, who benefit from continuous training via the Sustainability Academy, and on the other hand externally, through sectoral working groups and coalitions. The Group thus works very regularly with other banks to define common indicators, allowing us to measure our progress, and with its clients, to help them advance in their transition.