Introduction by the chairman              
 Our vision and values                      
 Sustainability report overview              
 Group overview                               
 Group executive committee          
 Executive summary                           
 Stakeholder engagement               
 Economic contribution                    
 Corporate governance and ethics
 BEE and FSC                                   
 Shareholders                                
 Customers                                        
 Employees                                     
 Suppliers                                         
 Corporate social responsibility
 Environment                                    
 African footprint                                  
 International footprint                       

Direct impacts
   
 

Energy

Standard Bank maintains formal energy management systems at several major buildings (Johannesburg and regional head offices) with the objective of providing a safe, comfortable and high-quality working environment, while also striving to promote optimal energy efficiency. The following activities are conducted to achieve optimal energy efficiency:
  • reviewing energy usage, including the investigation of new technologies;
     
  • reviewing the quality of energy supply; and
     
  • monitoring electricity accounts.

Water

We are currently reviewing our water consumption trends and our monitoring systems in order to more accurately measure our consumption and reduce per-capita consumption. Some of the relevant factors being reviewed include: the positioning of water meters, flow rates, pipe size and water pressure. Some of the initiatives we have implemented to reduce water consumption include:
  • the upgrade of the air-conditioning system at our head office building in Johannesburg; and
     
  • the re-use of humidification water for toilets at our head office building in Johannesburg.

Emissions

We endeavour to minimise the effect of greenhouse gas emissions through the cost-effective control of energy consumption. The way forward will be to quantify these emissions based on current and projected consumption patterns. We use ozone-friendly chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) free refrigerants in our cooling plants, which comply with the Montreal Protocol.

 

Waste

In September 2004, we upgraded our waste management efforts at our head office building in Johannesburg. We have developed and implemented an improved waste management system for recovering and selling recyclable or reusable waste, including clean office paper, bulk paper, plastics, metals and glass. Our initial results have been encouraging, with 13 tons of white paper and five tons of bulk paper being recovered in the first month.

We have purchased a fluorescent tube crusher for the responsible disposal of spent fluorescent lighting tubes, which contain hazardous mercuric oxide. The contractor levies a charge for this removal service and a certificate is issued confirming that the contents have been disposed responsibly.

In addition, we are improving the systems associated with the recovery and sale of spent printer and photocopier toner cartridges. A portion of the proceeds from this initiative is donated to charity. We are also devising a system for the responsible disposal of redundant computer components.