A sustainability perspective
By including a sustainability perspective in our lending assessment, the bank factors in the impact from and on areas such as the environment and climate, human rights, and basic principles regarding working conditions, corruption and bribery. The starting point is that we do not give credit if the sustainability risks are assessed to be too large. We also support global initiatives and guidelines to encourage and influence corporate customers' sustainability work.
Being responsible in our lending also involves working to ensure that our customers' financial situation is sustainable. With our approach to lending, we want to protect our customers from getting into financial difficulties due to excessive indebtedness.
Products and services for sustainability
We want to support our customers to move in a more sustainable direction. Therefore, we are constantly developing our financing products to be able to contribute to such development. One example is our green loans where private individuals and companies can finance various measures for reduced energy use, such as the installation of solar cells, and thereby reduce their climate impact.
Sustainability goals
By 2025, 20 per cent of the Bank's financing volume shall consist of green financing, social financing or financing that contributes to the borrower's measurable, sustainable transition.
Policy documents
Handelsbanken's board issues policies and instructions within, among other things, the area of sustainability, as part of its governance of the Bank. The Group CEO issues guidelines and more detailed directions, which in turn supplement and clarify these policies.
Equator principles
Sector framework – Fossil energy
In this sector framework, we present the assessment of Fossil energy that is used for lending, as well as the Bank's definition of a conversion company when lending and financing.
