In October 2017, bpost entered into an innovative €300m revolving credit facility (RCF) agreement with a variable interest rate that reflects the organisation’s sustainability performance. The loan, the first of its kind in Belgium, is structured so that there is a correlation between bpost’s sustainability score (evaluated by an independent third party) and the loan’s interest rate. Therefore, bpost is incentivised to further improve its sustainability performance in order to lower the interest rate.
In utilising this flexible financial tool, bpost’s sustainability agenda is further embedded into the organisation’s operations and ethos. Based on a stakeholder consultation and materiality assessment, bpost has defined its wider Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy and its potential impact on the sustainability score, around three main pillars:
- People: care about its employees and engage them with sustainably
- Planet: strive to reduce its impact on the environment
- Proximity: engage with the community it serves
bpost, Belgium’s largest postal service, plays a major role in society, and it strives to be an organisation its customers can trust. Embedding its CSR strategy and introducing innovative programmes like the RCF into its corporate operations and culture will help it reach its ambition of sustainable growth and demonstrating sustainability leadership.