Subject category:
Ethics and Social Responsibility
Published by:
HEC Montreal Centre for Case Studies
Length: 15 pages
Data source: Published sources
Abstract
In 2020, Banco W was a pioneer in Colombia's microcredit sector. During the previous five years, Diana Luc a Fern ndez, Banco W's corporate communications manager, had increased the visibility of sustainability efforts, including those to develop green areas around the bank and to establish social welfare and financial education programs. She had also consolidated internal responsibility for environmental issues and placed greater emphasis on sustainable sourcing. Most importantly, she had worked to incorporate all these activities within the organization's strategy of creating shared value, creating goals and indicators for each sustainability issue. Many challenges remained, however. Banco W had agreed to comply with the Green Protocol it had signed in 2017, which meant both offering a portfolio of green products and integrating the Environmental and Social Risk Analysis (ESRA) in its approval of loans and project financing. Respecting these criteria would mean adopting sustainability as a business strategy, but given the nature of the bank's target clientele, developing green products would not be easy. Moreover, integrating social and environmental criteria in its credit risk analyses could exclude the very people it aimed to serve.
Geographical setting
Country:
Colombia
About
Abstract
In 2020, Banco W was a pioneer in Colombia's microcredit sector. During the previous five years, Diana Luc a Fern ndez, Banco W's corporate communications manager, had increased the visibility of sustainability efforts, including those to develop green areas around the bank and to establish social welfare and financial education programs. She had also consolidated internal responsibility for environmental issues and placed greater emphasis on sustainable sourcing. Most importantly, she had worked to incorporate all these activities within the organization's strategy of creating shared value, creating goals and indicators for each sustainability issue. Many challenges remained, however. Banco W had agreed to comply with the Green Protocol it had signed in 2017, which meant both offering a portfolio of green products and integrating the Environmental and Social Risk Analysis (ESRA) in its approval of loans and project financing. Respecting these criteria would mean adopting sustainability as a business strategy, but given the nature of the bank's target clientele, developing green products would not be easy. Moreover, integrating social and environmental criteria in its credit risk analyses could exclude the very people it aimed to serve.
Settings
Geographical setting
Country:
Colombia