How’s ING supporting sustainability?

For months now, our lives have been dominated by the fight against the coronavirus. Millions of us have gone above and beyond on a daily basis to help meet the challenge by supporting our healthcare and social systems. But along with changing our way of life, this crisis has shone a light on our ecological impact.

So whether you’re an individual or acting on behalf of a company, we want to help you stay a step ahead when it comes to climate change and economic uncertainty. To do this, we’re developing new products and services while adapting our range of financing solutions. 

ING and its employees host and participate in a number of programs with the aim of contributing to a better world and helping local communities become more autonomous. We do this with the help of our long-term partners:

• In collaboration with the King Baudouin Foundation, we provide financial support every year to social projects that contribute to a circular economy, digital inclusion and financial education. In 2020, we also donated more than half a million euros to the Solidarity Care Fund set up with the King Baudouin Foundation to support hospitals and residential care facilities.
• In partnership with Time4society, each year more than 1,000 ING employees donate a day of their time to local social organisations through our ING Volunteering Days initiative.
• Alongside Close the Gap, ING supports the development of a circular economy by giving a second life to hundreds of old laptops, monitors and other pieces of IT equipment each year. While this is mainly in African and Asian countries, some is also sold to ING employees or donated to local associations, such as Digital For Youth in 2020.
• Finally, our international partnership with UNICEF – which is supported by  funds raised throughout the year by employees – aims to help young people develop the skills they need to help build tomorrow's world.

At ING, we regularly update our position in relation to financing, such as the sectors we exclude (for example, the production of animal fur, cosmetic testing on animals, nuclear weapons and rainforest deforestation) and what we expect from our customers in terms of respect for human rights and the environment. In our annual report, as well as details of financial performance, you’ll find information on our environmental and social impact throughout our value chain. This transparency has been rewarded by rating agencies, including Sustainalitics and the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, which rank ING among the most sustainable banks in the world.

Sustainability also means reducing your environmental footprint. Therefore, we’re reducing ING’s energy consumption and waste by improving recycling processes, optimising our rainwater consumption, favouring working from home and using more environmentally friendly means of transport. 

When it comes to shopping and managing money

• A better customer experience through our approach to digitalisation and cybersecurity
• Access to ING's channels at any time
• Tools and apps to help you manage your money more effectively
• Better rates to enable you to finance your bicycle purchases and home energy renovations
• Investment funds in compliance with the latest sustainability standards
• Regular updates on the latest trends in sustainability.

If you’re a wholesale customer

• Information and inspiring examples (FR) for sustainable business practices
• Expertise in your industry
• For some sectors, regular evaluation of environmental and social risks linked to your financing
• A differentiated rate for companies that commit to improving their sustainability rating
• Green loans, leasing solutions and even classic financing solutions to help your business become more sustainable
• Support to help you move closer towards compliance with the Paris agreements to keep global warming below 2°C
• Regular updates on the latest trends in sustainability.

Check out our sustainability news.