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GLS BankGermany

Active

This profile is actively maintained
Last update: 2025-04-18 12:53:31
GLS Bank head office in Bochum. Photo: Molgreen via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY SA 3.0)

Active

This profile is actively maintained
Last update: 2025-04-18 12:53:31
About
Website http://www.gls.de
Headquarters
Christstraße 9
44789 Bochum
Germany
CEO/chair Aysel Osmanoglu
CEO
Supervisor
Deutsche Bundesbank
Ownership

GLS Bank has a co-operative structure.

GLS Bank (full name GLS Gemeinschaftsbank eG) is a German ethical bank that was founded in 1974 as an anthroposophical initiative by Wilhelm Ernst Barkhoff and Gisela Reuther. It was the first bank in Germany that operated with an ethical philosophy. The bank focusses on cultural, social and ecological initiatives, initiated by people, and not anonymous interests seeking capital or maximum profit.

Sustainability
Commitments
Policies
Voluntary standards

GLS Bank's most important sustainability commitments can be found at the website sections listed below.

Links

Nachhaltigkeit

GLS Bank sustainability webpage
2024-01-17 00:00:00

Anlage- und Finanzierungsgrundsätze

Bank policy
2024-01-17 00:00:00 | GLS Bank
GLS Bank has committed itself to the following voluntary standards:
Klimaschutz-Selbstverpflichtung des FinanzsektorsTags: climate change | corporate social responsibility | finance
Collective Commitment to Climate Action (CCCA)Tags: climate change | corporate social responsibility | United Nations
Global Alliance for Banking on ValuesTags: corporate social responsibility
Global Reporting InitiativeTags: sustainable development | human rights
Net-Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA)Tags: climate change | corporate social responsibility | energy | energy plants
Paris Pledge for ActionTags: climate change
Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials (PCAF)Tags: carbon | corporate social responsibility
Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI)Tags: corporate social responsibility | sustainable development | United Nations
Principles of Sustainable Banking Tags:
News
BankTrack
Partners
Blog
External
BankTrack news BankTrack blog Partner news Partner blog

Fair Finance Guide 8.0: Banken-Check findet Fortschritte bei Transparenz und Nachhaltigkeit, deckt aber auch neue Defizite auf

2024-11-28 | Facing Finance
BankTrack news BankTrack blog Partner news Partner blog

Null Bock auf Netto Null – Deutsche Banken und Versicherer kommen völkerrechtlichen Verpflichtungen und Zielen des Pariser Klimaabkommens nicht ausreichend nach und gefährden Klimaziele

2024-11-13 | Facing Finance
BankTrack news BankTrack blog Partner news Partner blog

Wall Street’s CO2 agenda drives green bank to quit alliance

2023-02-06 | Bloomberg
BankTrack news BankTrack blog Partner news Partner blog

GLS Bank has decided to withdraw from the Principles for Responsible Banking

2023-01-31 | UNEP-Fi
BankTrack news BankTrack blog Partner news Partner blog

Faires Geld braucht die Welt

Neue ÖPNV-Infokampagne in NRW für mehr Nachhaltigkeit im Bankensektor
2022-12-02 | lifePR
Blog
BankTrack news BankTrack blog Partner news Partner blog

Banks and biodiversity: are banks moving towards Kunming?

As China hosts the first part of the UN Biodiversity Conference, banks are called upon to support its goals
2021-10-14 | Nijmegen | BankTrack
Blog
BankTrack news BankTrack blog Partner news Partner blog

Banks called upon to take action to protect biodiversity ahead of UN Biodiversity Conference in Kunming

Civil society organizations urge banks to adopt stringent “No Go” policy for biodiversity rich areas
2021-05-26 | Nijmegen | BankTrack
Blog
BankTrack news BankTrack blog Partner news Partner blog

New bank climate initiative fails to grasp urgent need to end finance for fossil fuels

Civil society statement on the launch of the Net-Zero Banking Alliance
2021-04-22 | Nijmegen | BankTrack, urgewald, Amazon Watch, Bank on our Future, Indigenous Environmental Network, Market Forces, Positive Money, Rainforest Action Network, Reclaim Finance, ShareAction, Sierra Club
BankTrack news BankTrack blog Partner news Partner blog

Leading finance firms sign up to Mark Carney forum on low-carbon investment

2021-04-21 | The Guardian
Resources
Documents
Links
2024-11-13 00:00:00

Highway zur Klimahölle

Machen deutsche Banken den Weg frei?
NGO document
2024-11-13 00:00:00 | Facing Finance
2024-06-30 00:00:00

CSR report 2023

Annual report
2024-06-30 00:00:00 | GLS Bank
2024-01-17 00:00:00

Anlage- und Finanzierungsgrundsätze

Bank policy
2024-01-17 00:00:00 | GLS Bank
2023-04-03 00:00:00

CSR report 2022

Annual report
2023-04-03 00:00:00 | GLS Bank
2022-06-14 00:00:00

CSR report 2021

Annual report
2022-06-14 00:00:00 | GLS Bank
2022-05-10 00:00:00

Annual report 2021

Annual report
2022-05-10 00:00:00 | GLS Bank
2021-07-13 00:00:00

CSR Report 2020

Annual report
2021-07-13 00:00:00 | GLS Bank
2021-06-24 00:00:00

Guidance on Biodiversity Target Setting for PRB signatories

Other document
2021-06-24 00:00:00 | UNEPFI
2021-04-21 00:00:00

Commitment statement Net Zero Banking Alliance

Other document
2021-04-21 00:00:00 | UNEP FI Principles for Responsible Banking
2020-12-08 00:00:00

Collective Commitment to Climate Action - Year One in Review

Other document
2020-12-08 00:00:00 | UNEP FI Principles for Responsible Banking
2020-07-02 00:00:00

Annual report 2019

Annual report
2020-07-02 00:00:00 | GLS Bank
2019-09-19 00:00:00

Collective Commitment to Climate Action

Other document
2019-09-19 00:00:00 | UNEP FI Principles for Responsible Banking
2019-09-11 00:00:00

Letter from GLS Bank to BankTrack on PRB implementation

Correspondence
2019-09-11 00:00:00 | GLS Bank
2019-04-30 00:00:00

Annual report 2018

Annual report
2019-04-30 00:00:00 | GLS Bank
2015-09-22 00:00:00

Letter from GLS to BankTrack on signing the Paris Pledge

Correspondence
2015-09-22 00:00:00 | GLS
2015-04-14 00:00:00

Annual Report 2013

German only
Annual report
2015-04-14 00:00:00 | GLS Bank
2015-04-14 00:00:00

Sustainability Report 2013

Germany only
Annual report
2015-04-14 00:00:00 | GLS Bank
2013-04-24 00:00:00

Annual Report 2012

Annual report
2013-04-24 00:00:00 | GLS Bank
2012-07-16 00:00:00

Sustainability Report 2011

Annual report
2012-07-16 00:00:00 | GLS Bank
2011-05-27 00:00:00

Annual Report 2010

Annual report
2011-05-27 00:00:00 | GLS Bank
2010-05-05 00:00:00

Annual Report 2009

Annual report
2010-05-05 00:00:00 | GLS bank

The principles of GLS sustainability

Accountability

This page evaluates GLS Bank's responses to instances of alleged human rights violations linked to its finance, raised by civil society organisations. It is not intended to be exhaustive, but covers selected impacts raised by BankTrack and other civil society partners since 2016. For the full scoring methodology, see here. For more information about BankTrack's evaluation of bank responses to human rights impacts, see the 2021 report "Actions speak louder: assessing bank responses to human rights violations".

Impacts reviewed
Responded?
Total score
Response
Action
Monitoring

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