Implementing the Green Office concept

Following the UN’s Global Compact Environmental Principles, and in an effort to implement the Green Office concept, the IIB approximately one tonne of obsolete office equipment to a licensed recycling company in October.

The recycling of office equipment is mandatory since it contains a number of substances that are harmful to the environment, including heavy metals. Some of these materials, mainly plastic, glass and metals, will be sent for recycling, as a result of which their harmful contents will be neutralized.

Office equipment recycling is part of the IIB’s Green Office concept, which envisages corporate standards for mitigating negative environmental impact from the activity of the bank or its affiliates. Results are achieved through the efficient use of resources (electricity, water, paper), by using eco-friendly materials and technologies, sorting and consigning refuse for processing, and conducting awareness campaigns with the Bank’s employees.

The IIB’s near-term Green Office plans include installing special waste containers in public areas of the Bank to encourage employees and visitors to recycle used small-sized batteries.

IIB employees work to revitalize Russia’s ecosystem

On September 30, the Bank’s employees took part in Plant the Forest, a large-scale volunteer effort spearheaded by Greenpeace of Russia in the Solnechnogorsk district of the Moscow region. Members of the bank planted about 100 pine, oak and elm seedlings to rejuvenate the ecosystem on the outskirts of Moscow.

The trees planted by volunteers will improve the atmospheric conditions in the Moscow region, help maintain the local ecosystem and biodiversity in wooded areas adjacent to the Russian capital, while reducing soil erosion.