MUMBAI:
On the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary, country’s largest lender State Bank of India announces to be a plastic free organisation as part of Bank’s sustainability commitment.
This major initiative by SBI is in sync with the Prime Minister’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and the national commitment to abolish single use plastic by the year 2022. In the next 12 months, SBI will be undertaking phase wise steps to become plastic free. PET water bottles will be replaced with water dispensers at all its offices and meetings.
The Bank will also start using standardised paper folders replacing the plastic ones. When it comes to food and hygiene, SBI would replace single use plastic cutleries and containers in its canteens with those made from biodegradable substances. Also today the bank organized a cleanliness drive where nearly 300 SBI employees including Chairman Rajnish Kumar and other top management of the bank came together and cleaned the area around Sion Fort in Mumbai. The cleanliness drive was conducted in all local head offices (LHO) of SBI in the
country that witnessed active participation of the employees.
The world is moving towards gradual adoption of Electric Vehicles. SBI is not only internalizing the usage of Electric vehicles in its operations but also as a leading lender engaging actively with all stakeholders in the EV space to develop a suited eco system for EV market in India. Today the bank has bought its first electric vehicle and has announced that it will migrate 100% into electric vehicles by 2030.
Rajnish Kumar, Chairman, SBI said, “It is a special feeling to launch this drive on this special occasion. SBI’s decision to be plastic free within a year time line can be accomplished only when we consider the cause dear to our heart”. He further added, “In our country, the per capita consumption of plastics is on the rise and is one of the biggest environmental challenges for our country. I feel we at SBI should always follow the concept of 3 ‘R’s (Refuse, Reduce and Reuse) to make this initiative a remarkable sustainability feat and unparalleled in Indian corporate history”.
SBI is the first among the Public sector banks to develop a sustainability roadmap for its operations across India. From measuring and taking steps to reduce its energy, water, paper consumption and waste generation, the Bank has taken several initiatives for improving its environmental footprint. SBI has been creating awareness amongst its staff members on plastic pollution, its ill effects and imbibing simple avoidable measures to restrict it further.
