Green Banking is a new phenomenon in the financial world.Banks as the financing agent of the economic and developmental activities have an important role in promoting overall sustainable development. Green banking is the term used by banks to make them much more responsible to the environment. The term green banking means developing inclusive banking strategies which will ensure sustainable economic development.

Green Banking entails banks to encourage environment friendly investments and give lending priority to those industries which have already turned green or are trying to go green and, thereby, help to restore the natural environment.Green banking means combining operational improvements, technology and changing client habits in banking business.It means promoting environmental - friendly practices.

   
AFPLC Plan to establish the Green banking activities:

• AFPLC encourage sustainable finance projects under Bangladesh refinance programs
• To establish in-house environment management
• To ensure environment friendly atmosphere for employees to make every one environmentally concerned.
• Adherence to the Environmental Risk Management (ERM) guidelines    
• Launch of green banking products and services supported to environment.
• To provide support to our clients to be more environmentally conscious.
• Financing in green project.
• To support environment friendly organizations as a part of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities.
• Alliance with Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and other environmental focus groups for green banking activities.

          
      
Policy & Strategic Plan :
                 

• Green Banking Unit would perform the following activities: To implement In-house Environmental Risk Management
• To conduct a preliminary environmental risk review using Environmental Due Diligence checklists (EDD).
• To ensure Environmental Risk Rating (ERR)
• To take initiatives to create Climate Risk Fund (CRF)
• To take initiatives to introduce Green Finance
• To introduce Green Marketing
• To formulate and update policy and governance
• To issue awareness building circular to Head Office /Divisions/Departments/ Branches.
• To support Employees? Training, Clients? Awareness and Green Event
• To disclose Green Banking Activities in annual report
• Report to Committee for Green Banking
• To plan, organize and evaluate staff activities
• Report to the Department of Off-site Supervision of Bangladesh Bank on quarterly basis vis-à-vis initiatives/activities under the said program.

          
            
AFPLC’s in-house environmental management practices:        

Conserve energy by-

• Switching off all lights and electronic equipments (computers, monitors, photocopiers, printers etc.) when not in use.
• Use of energy saving bulbs.
• Installation of solar panel in the Corporate Head Office (CHO) and branches for generating electricity.
• Maintaining regulated AC temperature
• Optimization of the use of natural light & wind in Head office and branches.

          
      
Saving Paper-

• Recycling paper internally.
• Sharing electronic files, e-mail instead of paper based communication.
• Setting default the duplex printing option (both side printing)
• Using technologies for paperless communication with our clients as well as during interbank correspondence.
• Buying the paper with „recycle? mark.
• Introducing of „e-greeting? and electronic circulation of other promotional materials.
• Adding the message „think before you print? at the bottom of every e-mail, circular etc.
• Introducing of „e-statement?. We should send account statements and balance confirmations etc. to the clients through online and through email, which would save enormous amount of paper, time, cost and above all the environment.
• Issuing of dateless diaries to employees & clients. It would reaffirm UBL?s commitment for environmental concerns.
• All Correspondences (circular, letters etc) with Head office and branches should be made through email instead of hard copy (except special requirements).
• Try to reuse of old file-folders, envelops.
• Saving consumption of office stationary.
• Following other printing tips would also reduce paper consumption:
• Printing on reusable sheets.
• Printing multiple pages on single sheets of paper
• Printing only the pages required.
• Previewing documents before printing.
• Increasing margin width of the documents.     

    
Ensure employees’ engagement & build awareness by-

• Circulating „Green Office Guide? which would be a written guideline for green banking.
• Arrangement of in-house training for the employees on green banking measures & tips.
• Encouraging them to purchase hybrid vehicles/fuel efficient vehicles.
• They may be encouraged for practicing carpool.
• Eco-friendly message to be included in the internal correspondence.
• Periodical meeting to discuss the Green Banking issues.
• Contest among the branches on Green Banking activities
• All branches of the bank may prepare a list of their goods, furniture fixture etc. to arrange or keep the important commodities and reject the unnecessary goods/ things and thus clean up the branch with better set up and get up.
• Observation of fortnightly/ monthly/ quarterly green hour at branches.

Waste management-

• Green banking encourages the employees to be cautious about misuse & wastage of resources like water, gas, electricity, paper, foods etc.
• Each group of waste should be kept in a separate place, which does not pollute the environment and all the wastes must be disposed off separately.
• Reducing e-wastage through upgrading existing PCs.
• Proper disposal of old discarded electronic equipment in order to minimize the effect of environmental hazardous & toxic material.
• Use of solar energy/renewable energy sources.
• Audio/video conference in liue of physical travel.

   
Online banking-

• Use of Outlook for internal messaging
• Use of Internet banking
• Mobile/ phone banking
• Database required for number of branches with online coverage

                   
Launching of New Product-
          

• Designing and introducing innovative products:
• To avoid the negative impacts on environment bank need to be introduced or invent environment friendly products to address the core environmental challenges of the country. Green Banking focuses on social safety and security through changing the negative impacts of the society.

   
Standardized reporting format with external verification:
   

The bank would publish the independent Green annual report following internationally accepted format like Global Reporting Initiatives (GRI) upon verification by an independent agency or acceptable third party.                
    
Some sample product of green banking-

• Solar Home System
• Bio-Gas Plant
• Biological ETP
• Water Electricity Plant
• PET Bottle Recycle Plant
• Reduce Carbon in Hybrid Hoffman Kiln (HHK)/Tunnel Kiln /Equivalent Plant installation
• Windmills electricity Plant
• LED Bulb production