Contents Management report Corporate governance Consolidated financial statements Financial statements Pillar 3
the Dutch Energy Agreement. We delivered an important
contribution in 2015 to the further growth of renewable energy
in the Dutch market with the financing of various wind and
solar energy farms. We are also leader in the U.S. and Canada
in the wind and solar energy sectors. We further strengthened
our top position in 2015 with the fifth place in the Bloomberg
New Energy Finance League Table, an international ranking of
financiers who are the most active worldwide in renewable
energy generation.
Rabo Groen bank
In 2015, Rabo Groen bank had a large market share in the
Dutch market for green financing for the SME and food and
agri customers, with EUR 310 million issued in new green
financing. In addition to many wind and solar energy projects,
we also financed a number of impressive circular projects in
2015. A number of geothermal energy projects also received
financing; Rabobank is also the market leader in this sector.
And finally, organic farmers and gardeners also represent
an important segment for Rabo Groen bank. An adjusted Green
regulation will take effect at the beginning of 2016, offering
new opportunities for businesses in the area of biodiversity and
investments in sustainable living.
DLL
DLL searches continuously for innovative ways in which to
combine profitability with social and environmental benefits.
Life Cycle Asset Management (LCAM)
DLL supports its partners in the transition to a circular economy
by providing financial solutions through its LCAM programme.
This means in concrete terms that DLL helps its partners by
financing (re-)used and refurbished equipment and providing
solutions based on usage, such as operational leasing. DLL is
advanced in this area and views it as its responsibility to share
its knowledge and experience via white papers, blogs,
presentations, press releases and free webinars.
DLL's new business of used equipment grew from 1 in 2013
to 5% in volume terms in 2015. The aim is to reach 20% in
2020. In order to achieve this goal, DLL has started a number of
pilots in various industries. For example, DLL's mobility branch
- Athlon - began an initiative to re-lease cars that are three to
four years old in a full-service solution to new customers for
a period of 12 to 24 months. In addition, DLL has approached
agricultural businesses to increase familiarity with the subject
and to finance more used equipment. DLL has invested in
reporting instruments in order to monitor progress in this area.
CleanTech
Within DLL, the group unit CleanTech executed its strategy
successfully in 2015. It saw the volume of new business increase
by 50% in relation to the previous year, mainly due to increased
demand in Europe and the U.S. In addition, its portfolio was
diversified further with activities in renewable energy, energy
efficiency, lighting, water and waste management. An example
from the Netherlands is the first Pharmafilter, a unit for
renewable energy and water purification.This deal was agreed
upon with a hospital.
Mobility Solutions
The market for mobility focused on enhancing sustainability
in 2015. DLL's mobility branch, Athlon, broadened its product
portfolio in this context. For example, it developed its mobility
budget, car sharing, bicycle lease and a flexible income plan.
In order to be able to provide further advice in this area to its
customers, the consultancy branch was expanded to Germany
and Italy, in addition to the existing activities in the Benelux
and France. Another large trend in mobility is urbanisation.
Athlon has therefore decided to participate in 'Smart Cities'
projects in order to learn how mobility will be organised in
urban areas in the future and how Athlon Mobility Solutions can
contribute to this.
Micro-leasing
DLL and Rabobank Foundation have already had a successful
three years collaborating in developing and providing
an alternative form of financing, microleasing, in Rwanda.
The successful project has now been expanded to Kenya, where
DLL and Rabobank introduced microleasing in cooperation with
various SACCOs (Savings and Credit Cooperatives).
Customer satisfaction
We measure, on an annual basis, the percentage of business
customers who indicate that sustainability was discussed to
their satisfaction in the customer meeting. In the Netherlands,
we do that for customers of local Rabobanks after each
customer contact via the so-called local customer monitor.
The percentage of business customers that Rabobank views
as a good discussion partner about sustainable business varies
between 10%and 23%. The figures for 2015 area baseline
measurement. Our ambition is higher and we strive to increase
this percentage each year. The figure is based on 40 of the
102 participating banks. We report overthe percentage
of customers that rate the statement, 'Rabobank is a good
discussion partner for sustainable/social enterprise', with 'very
good'or'excellent'. Satisfaction figures regarding sustainability
64 Rabobank Annual Report 2015