Rabobank Group is a full-range financial services provider based in the Netherlands. It is founded on cooperative principles and as such owned by its members. The bank offers the full range of services to consumers, private clients and business but its origin as a rural cooperative bank still reflects today in the bank being a global leader in food and agri financing and in sustainability-oriented banking.
ownership
not listed on stock exchange
Cooperative structure, bank owned by members
headquarters
Croeselaan 18
3521 CB Utrecht
Netherlands
position top 1000 the Banker
In million US$. Ranking according to Tier 1 capital, as per definition Bank of International Settlements (BIS)
The CDP impels organisations to record their carbon footprint in daily activities. Encouraging enterprises to calculate and disclose their carbon impact, this initiative highlights the challenge for financial institutions to determine exactly how much carbon output can be attributed to financing.
Voluntary framework to guide the finance sector in tackling the challenge of climate change. They address the management of operational greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and provide direction on managing climate change in research activities; asset management; retail banking; insurance & re-insurance; corporate banking; investment banking & markets; project finance.
The EPs are a set of guidelines, based upon the Performance Standards and guidelines from the IFC, the World Bank's private sector lending arm for private banks to asesses and mitigate risks in project finance. Banks use the Principles to guide internal operating procedures for transaction for specific projects. Although the EPs are an important step to raise overall standards of financiers and projects in the developing world, they currently fall short on transparency and governance requirements.
The verification and full publication of company payments and government revenues from oil, gas and mining is supported by the EITI. Financial institutions can participate and encourage resource-rich countries to support the initiative that aims to defeat poverty, corruption and conflict caused by weak transparency and accountability.
As the name suggests, the GRI aims to standardise good practice in transparency. GRI provides companies with guidelines to organise their annual report with reporting indices and standards addressing environmental, social and economic issues that business ought to address when telling the world about its performance.
The UN Global Compact is a set of ten principles that companies may sign voluntarily. Signatories promise to avoid complicity in human rights violations, adhere to labour standards, protect the environment and avoid corruption. The G8 countries urge companies to participate in this initiative, and with over 2900 companies signing up, the Global Compact has momentum. A voluntary and network based framework, the Global Compact actively promotes peer review and stakeholder participation.
UNEP is the 'voice of the environment' for the United Nations system, promoting international cooperation in the field of the environment. Issues concerning the financial community are addressed by the UNEP Finance Initiative which promotes investment in clean and renewable energy by financial institutions and other investors. Financial insititutions wishing to join must sign one of two Statements (for financial institutions and a separate one for the insurance industry).
UNPRI is a set of six principles direct institutional investors may adopt to consider environmental, social and corporate governance issues when investing. Voluntary and aspirational in nature, UNPRI has since its inception in 2006 attracted 200 signatories, representing US$8 trillion worth of investments.
Since the turn of the century a group of twelve banks known as the Wolfsberg Group have collaborated to improve ethical standards. The principles provide guidance on money laundering, corruption and the financing of terrorism. They have been produced to address deficiencies in areas 'yet to be fully articulated by lawmakers or regulators'.
The performance of Rabobank Group's clients is assessed
according to ten key aspects of corporate social responsibility: corruption
and/or bribery, poor labour conditions, forced labour, child labour,
discrimination, pollution, depletion of scarce natural resources, cruelty to
animals, poor treatment of indigenous peoples, and products/services that
impose health or safety risk to consumers. "The assessment is carried out as
standard practice in accordance with the Credit
Risk Management (CRM) Credit Manual and is intended to generate material
information required for the ultimate credit assessment." As details of the CRM
Credit Manual are not disclosed we can only reward the specific policies
published at the relevant sectors and issues.
agriculture
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5
arms industry and trade
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fisheries
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5
forestry
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5
mining
0
1
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5
oil and gas
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1
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5
power generation
0
1
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5
biodiversity
0
1
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5
climate change
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1
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5
corruption
0
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5
human rights
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1
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5
indigenous peoples
0
1
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5
labour
0
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5
operation in conflict zones
0
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5
taxation
0
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4
5
toxics
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5
accountability
0
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4
5
transparency
0
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4
5
headquarters
Croeselaan 18
3521 CB Utrecht
Netherlands
position top 1000 the Banker
In million US$. Ranking according to Tier 1 capital, as per definition Bank of International Settlements (BIS)
In the Canadian Boreal forest just downstream of the eastern foothills of the Rocky Mountains are the Canadian tar sands. The region contains some 2 trillion barrels of oil,…
Cluster munitions pose a serious threat to civilian populations during and after a conflict. Cluster munitions are designed to blanket a large area containing one or more…
Plantar Project (eucalyptus plantations & pig iron production)
The Plantar Project was one of the first Clean Development Mechanism projects to be supported by the World Bank Prototype Carbon Fund (PCF). Plantar SA, located in…
BankTrack has identified controversial issues
with the companies listed below that require attention from Rabobank.
E.on
E.ON is a German electricity company headquartered in Düsseldorf and is another of big beasts of energy production. E.ON operates along the entire value chain of power…
Founded in 1923, state-owned Eskom generates, transports and distributes approximately 95% of South Africa's electricity. That's a huge 60% of the total electricity consumed…
Apr 01, 2010 | Netwerk Vlaanderen, IKV PAX Christi
A short version of the 'Hall of Fame and runners-up'-document. Both taken from the report: "Worldwide Investments in Cluster Munitions; A Shared Responsibility" Updated April 2010.
Jun 09, 2007 | Friends of the Earth Netherlands - Milieudefensie
The report compares financed CO2 emissions by six Dutch banks (ABN AMRO , ING, Rabobank, Fortis, Triodos and ASN bank). The research results in the Climate Performance Index 2007.
Investing in Climate Change: the role of Dutch banks
Jun 07, 2006 | Milieudefensie
Milieudefensie report that describes how Dutch banks are investing in climate change both through the direct emissions of their organisation as the indirect emissions of their investments.
A Millieudefensie Report. Review of the oil palm and forestry investment policies adopted in 2001 by ABN Amro, FMO, Fortis, ING, and Rabobank. A second part gives recommendations to banks and the government on responsible investment policies and practices.
Letter to BankTrack as a response to BT letter of February 11, 2010
Mar 29, 2010 | Equator Principles Financial Insititutions, Citi
The first response ever to one of the letters BankTrack sent to the Equator Principles Financial Insititutions. It is a response to the BankTrack follow up letter after the meeting in Zuerich, February 4.
