How we take care of the enviroment

We are continuously monitoring our energy consumption and we are trying to reduce it through various activities, thereby raising the awareness of our staff about the importance of caring for the environment. We regularly send personalised e-mails to our staff to remind them of the mandatory shutdown of their computers after hours, turning off the air conditioning and heating at the weekend, and the separation of used paper from other waste for recycling.

With the aim of promoting the idea of protecting the environment and raising awareness about this burning issue, every year on June 5th, we celebrate World Environmental Day with appropriate campaigns. This day is celebrated on the anniversary of the United Nations Conference in Stockholm (1972) dedicated to the environment, when the United Nations Environment Programme was adopted.

Paper waste and plastic are collected separately by a contracted company that recycles them. The contracted company also separately collects and transports hazardous waste, such as cartridges, in accordance with the laws and regulations.
In line with new environmental legislation, our two heads of waste management successfully completed a three-day training session in December 2015.
The duplex copying of documents, which we have introduced as a standard, reusable envelopes and other similar activities have resulted in a continuous reduction of paper consumption.

Paper Consumption

The double-sided copying of documents, which we introduced as a standard setting, reusable envelopes and other similar activities have resulted in a permanent reduction of paper consumption, which was 339,000 kg this year.
Over the last seven years, we have managed to cut paper consumption by about 100,000 kg and steadily increase the use of recycled paper. Likewise, since June 2012, all envelopes and printing paper used by the Bank are made from recycled paper, including the A4 paper for automated paper stacking. 

Energy consumption

Installing energy-efficient lights and electronic chokes for the purpose of cutting down energy consumption for lighting has become standard practice. When replacing equipment, we pay special attention to ensuring that the replacement part has optimal characteristics. Instead of classic lightbulbs, energy efficient lightbulbs are used, air-conditioners are replaced with inverter technology with a higher energy efficiency level, elements with high-quality insulation properties are used for construction materials, LEDs are used for advertising signs, and heat recovery ventilation is installed.

As a result of these efforts, we became an official partner in the GreenLight programme in January of 2013.

During 2018, we consumed 18,000.8 MWh in total. On the PBZ Group level (including Slovenia and Bosnia-Herzegovina), we used 23,968.8 MWh overall.

The following energy efficient equipment was installed in the Bank’s premises during 2018:

LED lighting in the Sesvete, Novalja, Središće, Varaždin, Pilareva, Rački, Špansko, Donat and Gripe branch offices
air-to-water heat pumps in the Sesvete, Novalja, Središće and Varaždin branch offices, as well as the Rijeka vault
air-to-air heat exchangers in the Sesvete, Novalja, Središće, Varaždin and Rijeka branch offices, as well as the Rijeka vault
a VRV heat pump in the Biograd na Moru branch office
gas boiler heating in the Ogulin branch office
data acquisition system in the Špansko branch office
 

We take a series of active measures in order to contribute to reducing carbon dioxide emissions.  The Bank’s old vehicles for carpooling were replaced with eco-friendly vehicles with low CO2 emissions. The company carpooling system includes:

65% Euro 5 standard vehicles
35% Euro 6 standard vehicles
 

Our plans for the future include the implementation of measures in line with the Environmental Protection Policy in order to promote the responsible use of natural resources, especially the efficient consumption of energy and paper, and proper waste management. Furthermore, we will strive to provide continued education to our employees, as well as to inform the public and raise the level of awareness as relates to the environmental protection issues.