BLKB: Best Regional Sustainability Bank Switzerland 2020

BLKB (Basellandschaftliche Kantonalbank) is Switzerland’s most future-orientated bank. Six years ago, it changed its own investment offering to a completely sustainable product range. Three years ago, it fostered the approach by establishing a set of guiding principles to anchor its operations on an overall bank level and implementing it in its core business strategy. Majority owned by the canton of Basel-Landschaft, BLKB is the largest bank in the region, offering a range of ESG-benchmarked credit, investment and advisory services. It fosters a culture of continuous learning with ongoing vocational training for staff and a sponsorship programme for apprenticeships and university internships. As a forward-looking employer, BLKB offers contemporary work models which allows the staff more flexibility in the organization of working hours and locations. This simplifies the compatibility of work and private life, such as caring for children or relatives, and supports a balanced work-life balance for every employee.

BLKB has made steady advances to curb its carbon emissions, and achieved CO2-neutrality in 2019. It accomplished this by recruiting a company specialising in greenhouse emissions calculation to pinpoint compensation targets, then gave employees the vote on which socio-ecological initiatives to support. Two international projects were selected: establishing safe water supply in Rwanda and protecting forests in Zimbabwe. As the bank states, CO2 recognises no national borders. BLKB ensures its carbon-neutral status will continue through partnership in a local climate-protection project that aims to build up nutrient-rich, carbon-sequestering humus in the region’s agricultural lands. The improved soil quality will boost the resilience of regional agriculture production for years to come. BLKB is a role model of good governance, with full accountability and transparency across its operations. The bank pledges end-to-end sustainability for products, people and practices. The CFI.co judging panel is pleased to present BLKB with the 2020 award for Best Regional Sustainability Bank (Switzerland).