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“If each of us will realize our role in protecting the environment, the country will become greener, more developed and eco-friendly, and this will positively affect our well-being and healthy life in a safe environment”.
For many years, implementing eco-friendly initiatives has been one of the priority topics on the agenda of ProCredit Bank. All this is expressed both in the Environmental Management System used by the bank and the executed projects, including providing financial opportunities – ECO loans – for SME businesses that help to improve energy efficiency, increase competitiveness, and reduce a negative impact on the environment. ProCredit bank has been operating for 23 years in Georgia, emphasizing excellent customer service to small and medium enterprises and private individuals who prefer to do their banking through electronic channels.
In an interview with The FINANCIAL, Giorgi Kardenakhlishvili – Head of Medium Business Development of ProCredit Bank, talked about the ProCredit bank’s role in the green sustainable development of the country through its unique business model the German bank has been applying over a decade, with underlying main achievements of ProCredit bank in green business direction and important projects the bank is working on to enhance “a green development” of the country.
Q: What is the role and contribution of ProCredit bank in promoting green business?
A: Promoting green business has been among the top priorities of ProCredit Bank for many years. We offer access to financing to both Private Individuals and small and medium-sized businesses by offering specialized green loans to promote investments in energy efficiency, renewable energy, and environmental protection. We provide technical advice to customers, share our experience, and help them achieve their efficiency goals and improve the environment around us. In financing these projects, we also try to incorporate several incentives, including preferential collateral requirements and cashback. We are committed to funding environmentally and socially sound projects and work only with businesses that comply with environmental regulations and do not endanger the population’s health and safety.
Q: What does ProCredit bank do in terms of energy efficiency?
A: One of the main tasks of ProCredit Bank is to be an example in the banking sector by applying high environmental standards in day-to-day activities, both by reducing the direct impact on the environment by continuous monitoring own energy and resource consumption, with the aim of identifying opportunities to reduce our environmental impact and developing appropriate measures. It is worth noting that our head office is EDGE certified. It is the first building in the country that received the certification due to its energy and resource efficiency. We invest in renewable energy technologies – the bank has installed a rooftop solar power plant. I want to emphasize the fact that 100 percent of our car fleet consists of electric vehicles. Apart from its own efficiency measures, the bank has a greater impact by incentivizing the business sector with green loans to promote investments in energy efficiency. With our accumulated in-house expertise, we have positioned ourselves as the partner of choice for green loans.
Q: What challenges do you see in Georgia in terms of environmental care and development of green business?
A: The main challenge is the low awareness of the importance of caring for the environment. We think we should all do our part in raising the responsiveness towards the topic, and ProCredit Bank has been serving this purpose for many years. We have achieved expertise in green financing, we demonstrate its benefits and importance through constant dialogues that we engage in with our partners, and we finance green investments for small and medium enterprises. Our efforts enable citizens to understand the consequences of their positive impact, reduce environmental pollution and endorse the green development of the country.
Q: Do you think that the Green Business concept is popular among Georgian businesses?
A: From year to year, the popularity of the green concept in Georgia is increasing. This is facilitated by the increased availability of information in the business sector. Many steps have been taken in this regard. However, there is still much work to be done, and we think the potential in this direction is quite significant in the Georgian economy.
Q: What are the main projects that you have implemented and made your contribution in green business development?
A: ProCredit Bank has been actively implementing various eco-friendly initiatives for several years and is contributing to the development of green business. We have completed the cycle of electric cars popularity project: from financing opportunities to the free electric charging stations installed in the whole country aims at improving the air quality. In addition, financing offers for renewable energy projects contribute to the idea of green development. This investment reduces the emission of harmful gasses and significantly decreases the monthly utility bills. The project of EDGE certification for green buildings can have many advantages for all SME businesses as it brings international prestige, opens many doors for decent financing opportunities and drives profitability.
Q: ProCredit bank is actively involved in EV (Electric Vehicles) introduction in Georgia, why do you think it is important for green business?
A: The poor quality of air is one of the substantial health concerns in our country. Replacing the internal combustion engine cars with electric vehicles would have a significant impact on improving the air quality. We started the electric car project a few years ago with the renewal of our fleet. As a result of gradual replacements, our fleet consists of only electric vehicles today. In addition, we have offered green loans to our customers with preferential rates. However, one of the major obstacles to switching to electric cars was a lack of infrastructure. In order to make the decision easier for the population, we created a network of free electric chargers covering the country to travel the route from the East to the West with the EV, which we plan to expand further.
Q: What are your short and medium term plans and projects you’re going to develop in terms of green business?
A: Since 2012, one of the strategic directions of ProCredit Bank has been the promotion of green and eco-friendly initiatives. In this regard, we have taken many steps forward from year to year. We try to increase awareness regarding environmental issues and make our daily activities eco-friendly, thus setting an example for others. We offer SMEs access to financing and share our German experience with them to successfully operate in the market. The promotion of green business development in the country remains an active component in the plans of the ProCredit Bank. We will continue offering modern and practical business solutions to the customers, thus creating a better environment. We as a financial institution understand our role in this matter and would like to transmit this message to the business sector as well as the individual citizens. If each of us will realize our role in protecting the environment, the country will become greener, more developed and eco-friendly, and this will positively affect our well-being and healthy life in a safe environment.
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