OREANDA-NEWS. July 31, 2012. The Release of 2011 CSR Report for Chinese Banking Industry and the Commendation Conference of Corporate Social Responsibility sponsored by the China Banking Association (CBA) was held in Beijing. Industrial Bank (IB) won three honors, respectively the “2011 Best Financial Institution of Social Responsibility Award” and the “2011 Social Responsibility Award for Best Green Finance” presented by the Chinese banking industry, and Qinxian Sub-branch of IB Taiyuan Branch won the “2011 Best Social Responsibility Award for Outlet with Special Contribution”, reported the press-centre of IB. 

The “Release of 2011 CSR Report for Chinese Banking Industry and the Commendation Conference of Corporate Social Responsibility” aims to showcase the performance of corporate social responsibilities by the Chinese banking industry, commend the outstanding institutions in performing social responsibilities in the Chinese banking industry, and elevate the social responsibility management of the industry. This appraisal and commendation followed the principles of being “objective, impartial and fair”. Based on the comparison and appraisal plan as well as the appraisal standard system which were specially designed for the campaign and the summarized statistic table for social responsibilities , the CBA finally selected the institutions and individuals for corresponding awards out of 69 institutions applying for the appraisal and comparison after a range of links including submission of materials, preliminary data appraisal and review by the expert appraisal panel.

As early as July 2007, IB has set up a work leading group for social responsibilities, proposed the concept of corporate governance – “actively exploring various ways to push forward the performance of social responsibilities as a bank and constructing a good relationship with which human can live in harmony with the nature, environment and society” based on the relationship between the performance of social responsibilities and sustainable development of the bank, and specified that corporate social responsibility and sustainable finance should be the core concepts and value directions of the bank. On that basis, the bank has also innovatively put forward the way to perform social responsibilities through “obtaining reasonable profits while bringing benefits to the stakeholders”, combined social responsibilities with its own banking business and implemented such responsibilities into the specific operation and management links of the bank, so as to explore a commercial model and social responsibility practice model in which a win-win result can be achieved between the bank and the society.

As the only “equator bank” in China, IB adopts a strategic operation model to adapt to the new trend of responding to climate change and developing green finance around the world and to grasp the new opportunity to develop green economy, boldly exploring a broader path for sustainable finance and committing itself to building an all-course professional financial service supplier covering a wide range and an all-round “green bank” for China's green finance market. By launching a range of active explorations and practices, such as adopting and implementing the Equator Principles, promoting green financial products such as energy-efficient financing product and low-carbon credit card, and utilizing such non-credit financing tools as financial lease, debt financing, and trust to support energy conservation and emission reduction, IB has established a favorable green finance brand image both at home and abroad and built up its own differentiated competitive edges, becoming the only bank at home that has been nominated for the “Sustainable Banking Award” jointly sponsored by the British magazine, Financial Times, and International Finance Corporation (IFC) for four years consecutively and that has won the runner-up prize of the “2007 Sustainable Deal Award” and the champion of "2009 Sustainable Banking Award".

Being conferred with the three honors in the field of social responsibility and green finance by the China Banking Association, the bank not only wins the recognition of the industry to its performance of social responsibilities but also the full affirmation to its innovative models in performing social responsibilities and achieving sustainable development.