Sustainability strategy

In 2010 Bank Sarasin updated and restructured its sustainability strategy and made it far more focused by defining five key performance indicators and associated mid-term goals for each one.

The new sustainability strategy is best explained by a pyramid shaped illustration:

The starting point is the Bank's mission statement and the recently approved code of business conduct, in which the Bank declares an explicit commitment to sustainability. All subsequent components of the strategy are geared towards these two instruments of corporate stewardship.

The Bank's sustainability policy is the next level down. It summarises how Bank Sarasin sees itself in the context of sustainability, which strategic goals it pursues and how it intends to achieve them. The previous environmental and social policies have now been replaced by the new sustainability policy.

To ensure that the sustainability policy is followed and implemented in a highly focused manner, five key performance indicators (KPI's) have been defined for the Sarasin Group, shown in level three. The KPIs replace the former environmental and social goals, although the goals that had not yet been achieved were incorporated into the new KPIs.

Finally, on the fourth level, there are all the directives, guidelines and measures whose purpose is to ensure the attainment of these goals.

All of the basic requirements applicable to the Sarasin Group as a whole may also be found on the same level. These include, for example, the newly adopted Armaments Industry policy, which regulates the treatment of controversial armaments at the Sarasin Group, starting with a prohibition against the investment of proprietary funds and ranging to the non-acceptance of affected securities as loan collateral.

An organisational structure with clearly defined responsibilities is crucial for anchoring sustainability across all divisions and at all levels of the Sarasin Group. This is explained in detail under the heading "Management and monitoring".

What does Bank Sarasin mean by sustainability?

Bank Sarasin is convinced that the long-term prosperity of its clients represents the best basis for the consistency of its own success. To this end, its business activity is based on holistic thinking and action. As a maxim for decision-making, we aim to achieve a lasting balance of our commercial, social and ecological responsibility. From experience, we are convinced that this is the best way of combining the interests of our clients, our employees and our shareholders with our social responsibility.