Absa Bank has been recognized the first bank to join Kenya Green Building Society in bid to support the initiatives that promote the green economy by reducing pollution and improving people’s lives.
Jane Waiyaki-Maina, Head of Sustainability and Responsible Business Partnerships, Absa Bank Kenya received the certificate of recognition from Elizabeth Wangeci Chege – Chairperson, Kenya Green Building Society in recognition of their commitment to sustainable banking and business operation.
The bank has invested approximately Sh34m in retrofitting all its facilities to become water and energy efficient. This will reduce its carbon footprint while bringing down energy costs by up to 30% or Sh20m annually.
Reducing carbon emissions
“We have replaced all our water dispensers with eco-friendly ones, helping us reduce plastic within our working environment and therefore reduce our carbon footprint in relation to plastic use by 56%,” said Jane Waiyaki.
Waiyaki pointed out that all the Absa buildings have been assessed for efficiency in terms of energy, water and building materials, using the IFC Edge tool and in addition, they are also partnering with select SMEs to recycle rebranding waste including marketing collateral and metallic and plastic waste to produce school bags, film equipment and fencing posts.
The recognition come ahead of the annual World Green Building Week, a campaign by the World Green Building Council that seeks to empower the delivery of greener buildings globally. Buildings and the construction process are responsible for 39% of global energy related carbon emissions. To reduce such emissions, all gently used electronic waste generated from the bank’s brand name change will be refurbished and used to set up 66 computer labs in various institutions across the country.
