Resource efficiency

While the financial sector is not an intensive user of electricity, water, fuel, and materials given the nature of its activities, BPI still recognizes the need for the prudent use of all resources. We keep track of our environmental impact and encourage our stakeholders to do the same.

Energy Consumption

BPI’s energy consumption comes mainly from the electricity requirements of our daily branch and office operations.

The Facilities Services Group (FSG) handles all physical maintenance and construction-related works that support the Bank’s business activities. In line with the bank-wide strategy to shift from physical to digital, FSG’s initiatives focused less on building branches and more on reducing operating costs while maintaining the quality and integrity of our physical premises.

FSG supported preparations for the BPI and BPI Family Bank merger by ensuring the timely completion of retrofitting works for co-locating branches. By mid-year 2021, the conversion to LED lights was completed for 100% of branches nationwide. By November 2023, 90% of branch air-conditioning units have been switched with inverter types.

BPI’s corporate offices have also started sourcing its electricity from renewable sources, with BPI Buendia Center having shifted as of June 2022 and both BPI Consumer Banking Headquarters (formerly the BPI Family Savings Bank Center) & BPI Intramuros having shifted as of January 2023.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

BPI’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are computed based on the Bank’s electricity consumption and the Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Grid Emission Factors. This falls under Scope 2 of the GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard, which refers to indirect emissions from the generation of purchased energy.

To minimize GHG emissions resulting from travel,  BPI has implemented various initiatives such as but not limited to: 

• Work-from-home arrangements whenever feasible, depending on employee function
• Virtual meetings with internal and external stakeholders
• Electric shuttles providing transportation for employees across the Bank’s Makati corporate offices

From 2022 to 2023, BPI has engaged a third-party consultant organization for its Net Zero Strategy Roadmap.

Green Buildings

BPI has started exploring and implementing new efficient branch designs, green-building certifications, and the use of renewable energy for our facilities.

With a groundbreaking ceremony held last March 2022, BPI’s new head office building is targeted to be aligned with EDGE (or Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies), LEED (or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), and WELL certifications.

Last October 2022, BPI Iloilo Solis became the first bank branch in the Philippines to earn an EDGE certification from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group. As of December 2023, BPI already has nine EDGE-certified bank branches.

Water Consumption

The Bank’s water consumption comes from pantry sinks, washrooms, and maintenance faucets in branches and offices. As with our electricity, our water is sourced from water distribution companies and is monitored through utility billings.

Material Consumption

The Centralized Operations Group (COG) has an Electronic Statement of Account (eSOA) project in contribution to the Bank’s digitalization strategy. The initiative, which converted paper-based to electronic bank statements, has helped improve customer experience with faster and more efficient delivery of SOAs via email compared to physical delivery, and at the same time reducing costs for the Bank.

Capacity Building on Environmental Sustainability

As part of the management of BPI premises, FSG also facilitates the Bank’s compliance with government regulations on environmental impact such as energy, water, air, as well as solid and hazardous waste. This includes permits, reports, and other requirements of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), among others. Pollution Control Officers (PCOs) and engineers are assigned by geographic clusters and are continuously trained to stay up to date with the latest regulations and trends on environmental management.

The BPI Sustainability Office (SO) and the Sustainable Development Finance (SDF) teams host various ESG-related webinars which include environmental risk assessments and preparedness for natural catastrophes, energy efficiency innovations and renewable energy technologies, and new sustainability-related laws and regulations among others.

In addition, the BPI SO also hosts online Learning Sessions on various sustainability themes based on the interests of employees, including environment-related topics such as vegan recipes, zero waste living, and decluttering.