Our Environmental Capital

As a business we focus on creating value for both the organisation and our stakeholders. In doing so, however, we make every effort to minimise our impact on the planet and its finite natural resources.

Environmental capital vision

Our Vision for the environment encompasses the whole Organisation coming together to mitigate our impact on the environment by conserving and preserving ecosystems for future generations as we surge forward towards our goal of being a zero-carbon blue-green entity.

Environmental capital strategy

At CDB, our Environmental Capital Strategy reflects our concern for the planet and focuses on ensuring that our impact on the environment is mitigated to every possible extent in order to ensure a sustainable future. Our trademark slogan “Mihikathata Adaren” is an apt symbol for our efforts.

Commitment for environmental capital

We continue to forge ahead in our effort to responsibly manage the short-term and long-term impacts of our business on the environment. We promote the sustainable use of natural resources while offering quality products that meet the needs of customers.

CDB’s efforts in managing environmental impacts are designed to help us to meet the expectations of our stakeholders, increase the long-term sustainability of the Company, reduce business risks, and also minimise operating costs.

Environmental capital values

Our people uphold the following Environmental Capital Values:

  • Efficiency
  • Conservation and Preservation
  • Commitment
  • Minimisation

Environmental policy

A vital part of our corporate business strategy, our Environmental Capital Policy is focused on sustainability. It outlines how the Company will be doing its utmost to conduct business activities that respect and improve the lives of people and conserve the planet’s resources.

The environmental policy provides a consistent framework to manage environmental initiatives across the Company. We strongly believe that giving due consideration to sustainability will improve resilience while strengthening the long-term sustainability of the Company.

 

Natural capital value creation model

Natural capital value creation model

CDB Green Pledge

  • I recognise that I need nature.
  • I recognise that nature gives me the air I breathe, the food I eat, the water I drink and much, much more.
  • I recognise that without people like me who raise our voices to protect the planet, we’ll continue to take more from nature than nature can give.
  • I’m going to help turn the tide.
  • I pledge to protect the planet and to spread this message to my friends, family and neighbours, so they too.
  • I can understand and appreciate nature’s value.

 

ISO 14064-1:2006 Carbon Verified

CDB was recognised as South Asia’s very first ISO 14064-1 carbon verified financial institution by Sri Lanka Carbon Fund during the 2015/16 financial year. Aligned with the Companywide ethos of reducing its carbon footprint, CDB continued its environmental efforts, becoming a fully carbon neutral entity for the third consecutive time. Since the global focus on climate change and its effect on the environment has prompted corporates to evaluate the impact of their operations on the environment accordingly, our primary focus has been to contribute towards reducing the overall national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and carbon footprint.

 

Carbon Neutral Status

CDB has been certified as a “Carbon Neutral Business Entity” by the Climate Smart Initiatives (Pvt) Ltd. Our partnership with them has resulted in knowledge sharing and support to offer customers and the community a unique environmentally sensitive offering. We continue to exert a positive influence over stakeholders through the many roles we play in society – for instance, as a responsible corporate citizen, a reliable financier, and a trustworthy employer.

 

Mihikathata Adaren

mihikathata adaren CDB Bank

“Mihikathata Adaren” is our flagship environmental sustainability project which instills in our people a sense of responsibility and affinity towards the environment. It empowers us to be a team of “doers” taking affirmative action to conserve our natural world for future generations – and as a company, to champion the future health and well-being of the planet through green business operations.

G Squared – Go Green Club

Go Green Club

Our environmental targets are ambitious and, in order to meet them, we have initiated G Squared – Go Green Club with a greater purpose of “connecting people to nature”promoting eco-friendly business practices, preserving fragile ecosystems and conserving energy.

Activities we have conducted through G Squared – Go Green Club

  • Green Family
  • Green Ninja – CDB Quiz Master 2017
  • Green Movie Break
  • Plant a Tree – Plant A Life: Ecosystem Restoration

 

REDUCE, REUSE, REPLACE, RECYCLE

 

Our initiatives to REDUCE

Electricity consumption

To inculcate an energy-conserving culture we pasted awareness stickers on each employee laptop and personal computer and monitored energy use. At CDB, we are keenly aware that the actions we take and the energy we use has an impact on the world.

 energy-conserving

Water consumption

Our water usage is mainly for drinking and sanitary purposes. We continuously encourage our employees to conserve this natural resource by conducting awareness programmes and displaying water saving tags and notices in washrooms, pantries and common rooms. We have also installed fittings in our wash rooms which optimise water usage.

Rainwater harvesting system

At CDB, we use rainwater harvesting technology installed on the Head Office rooftop to collect and store rainwater. A total of seven water tanks with 1000l capacity are used for this purpose. Rainwater is collected through gutters which drain into the collection vessel through down-pipes. This water is used for gardening purposes and also conveyed to the storage container for domestic use. As the rooftop is the main catchment area, reasonably pure rainwater can be collected and roof catchments are cleaned regularly to maintain the quality of the water.

Waste management

At CDB, we focus on the sustainable elimination of waste in all forms. Controlling inputs is a key strategy in managing waste.

For this reason we constantly promote reuse and recycling. Since we produce minimal effluents, our policies and efforts centre on the management of emissions and waste.

 

Our initiatives to REUSE

To make employees more aware of the importance of conserving paper and energy CDB installed signs that illustrate simple, common-sense processes that can have a big impact on the environment. This includes reminders about printing on both sides of a paper, the correct way to print letterheads, using the shredder if both sides of a paper have been etc. These signs are posted within readable distance of each photocopier, printer and shredder.

Our initiatives to REUSE - CDB Bank

Our initiatives to REPLACE

We made a choice to shift to CDB-branded glass water bottles for all employees. This initiative supports the environment as well as the health and well-being of our people. The CDB 5S team removed all plastic water bottles throughout the premises and replaced them with glass bottles as they can be recycled. Glass bottles are also free of the hazardous chemicals that are sometimes released through plastic or aluminium bottles.

 

Our initiatives to RECYCLE

E-waste

Our E-waste recycling project was initiated in collaboration with Green Link, during the year under review. Through this project we are able to dispose of electronic waste in a safe manner, causing minimal harm to the environment. We initiated a new green movement titled “E-waste collection week” with the support and active participation of the Company Directors, corporate management members, and senior managers.

Paper

For the seventh consecutive year, a waste paper recycling project was conducted at our head office. This time we partnered with Green Links contributing to saving trees and reducing energy expended in the paper manufacturing process. The project has also paved the way to make use of waste paper more effectively with minimum impact to the environment.

Savings from paper and e-waste recycling (in 2017/18)

Savings from paper and e-waste recycling (in 2017/18)

Our green partnerships

To reduce carbon emissions, be more effective in biodiversity conservation and integrate environmentally-conscious practices in our core business, we partnered with Sri Lanka Climate Fund, Climate Smart Initiative (Pvt) Ltd. and Sri Lanka Business and Biodiversity Platform, together with the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) Sri Lanka and Dilmah Conservation.

These entities provide us with the tools for fostering dialogue on conservation which in turn helps us to reach our ultimate goal of low carbon growth. Our goal is to become a knowledge-sharing entity on biodiversity conservation while promoting discussion on this important subject and improving the exchange of knowledge, information and methods of conservation.

These collaborations have lead us to be more compliant with environmental laws and regulation by providing guidelines whenever possible. Therefore, we have ensured our green journey is complied with all regulatory requirements.