Sound sustainability policy
Sustainability profile
Rabobank has selected sustainability as one of the core values that forms the
basis for its services. In this way, the bank has given expression to its corporate
social responsibility (CSR). Rabobank Group's primarily focus is on its clients and
society, and the bank contributes to a sustainable increase in prosperity and
welfare. Based on this core value, and given its leading position in the global food
and agri business, Rabobank wants to contribute to the sustainable feeding of the
nine billion mouths that will live on this planet in a few decades'time.
Cooperative, responsible and sustainable
As a major financial institution, Rabobank also wants to take responsibility by providing
services in a socially responsible way: focusing on the interests of the customer, with an eye
for society, both now and in the future. Rabobank can also be expected to make an active
contribution towards the sustainable development of the spheres of activity in which it
operates. In this context, the IN2030 project has been designed to help the bank and its clients
form a picture of socio-economic developments in the places where they live and work. In
developing countries, the bank uses its knowledge and skills in the area of cooperatives to
help people take their first steps on the road towards economic development.
Rabobank Group Code of Conduct
Rabobank Group sets itself high standards for the way it deals with customers, partners,
employees and society in general. These standards are reflected in the Rabobank Group Code
of Conduct, which also includes Rabobank Group's core values:
- integrity: in its dealings, the bank wants to be fair, honest, conscientious and trustworthy;
- respect: the bank's basis for collaboration is respect, appreciation and commitment;
- professionalism: the bank serves its customers by offering high-level knowledge and facilities;
- sustainability: the bank wants to help build a sustainable society by making contributions in
economic, social and ecological areas.
Creating and maintaining a focus on the Rabobank Group Code of Conduct and the associated
core values is an ongoing process that continued to receive a great deal of attention in 2011.
During the year under review, Rabobank's values and standards were discussed by 82% of the
local Rabobanks. Senior management training programmes focused actively on these values
and standards, as did the TalentCooperative, the induction programmes for employees and
the CSR e-learning tool. The CSR e-learning tool became available in the course of 2011, and
by the end of the year it had been used by 2,006 employees. Encouraging a dialogue on
complex, sensitive issues is fundamental. In 2011, there was a special focus on compliance with
the declaration of moral and ethical conduct dictated by the Dutch Banking Code, which ties in
closely with the Rabobank Group Code of Conduct. In 2012, additional attention will be paid to
exploring the impact of the Code of Conduct. With regard to Rabobank International, a start
was made on ensuring that the Code of Conduct was even further embedded, in the form of
specifically bringing the core values and the code to the attention of Rabobank International
employees, together with other activities.
54
Annual Report 2011 Rabobank Group
