Commitments and impact

Discover how we’re working to build a sustainable future

Read our lastest Sustainability Report

 

Commitments and impact

Discover how we’re working to build a sustainable future

Read our lastest Sustainability Report

Sustainability at National Bank

Sustainability is an intrinsic part of our strategic planning. We consider environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters in our business and operational decisions. 

As such, we’re committed to identifying, understanding, and effectively managing the ESG factors that matter to our stakeholders. 

The principles, adopted by our Board of Directors, demonstrate our commitment to sustainability and are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

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Supporting a sustainable economy

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Enriching communities

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Ensuring National Bank’s sustainability

Environment: supporting a sustainable economy

We want to be a key player in the fight against climate change and to support Canada’s transition to a low-carbon economy.

To achieve our climate ambition, we formalized 3 priorities:

1. Achieve net-zero by 2050

Reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from our financing and operations
activities. 1

2. Support our clients

Actively support and advise our clients in their transition to a low-carbon economy and support the development of the renewable energy sector.

3. Exercise our thought leadership

Engage with our clients and collaborate with our peers, banking organizations and the public sector.

Read our latest Climate Report to learn about our progress. 

Social: enriching communities

We believe that people are the foundation of our success. That’s why we’re committed to our clients, team, and community.

Our clients

We offer a human experience focusing on support at every milestone in your life. We’re here to provide you with sound advice and services that are accessible both in-person and online.

At the same time, we're committed to simplifying the experience of our business clients and supporting entrepreneurship. We're proud to participate in a variety of training programs and support a dozen business incubators and accelerators.

Our employees

We want to create one of the most exciting workplaces in the country and provide our employees with an experience that focuses on well-being and continuous development. Our talent reflects our commitment to inclusion, diversity and equity. These values help us become a strong, creative, and relevant organization. Making a positive impact on people's lives starts right here. To learn more, visit our Diversity page.

Our commitment towards communities

We're committed to the communities in which we operate. Our clients, as well as our current and retired employees, are involved by participating in our fundraising programs. We support various organizations that support causes such as education, entrepreneurship, healthcare, arts and culture, the environment, and diversity.

Indigenous Peoples

We have had relationships with Indigenous Peoples for many years, whether with clients, employees or community groups. To continue our actions and move towards an open and ongoing dialogue, we are committed to the Partnership Accreditation in Indigenous Relations (PAIR) Program from the Canadian Council for Indigenous Business (CCIB). To learn more, consult our Indigenous Peoples page.

Governance: ensuring National Bank’s sustainability

Integrity, trust, and honesty guide our relationships. We apply the highest ethical standards in the way we do business, from risk management to anticorruption. By implementing sound corporate governance practices and working with our stakeholders, we can make a lasting contribution to society's changing needs.

Ensuring cybersecurity

One of our governance focuses is the protection of our systems and the information we hold. We're continuously improving information security to protect our clients, their data, and personal information.

A closer look at our initiatives

Learn more about initiatives and engagements in our most recent Sustainability Report.

Read our Sustainability Report

Our reports

Browse our reports, and codes and commitments for detailed information on our economic, social, and environmental impacts.
 

Read our reports

Read our previous reports

Through our philanthropic efforts, we're able to give back to the community. We support many organizations in a variety of fields, selected according to strict guidelines.

Apply for a donation request

Little details that matter

Want to apply for a donation? Follow the steps below if your donation request is for:

  • An annual fundraising campaign

  • A major fundraising campaign

How to request a donation:

  1. Review the eligibility criteria below to see if your application is eligible for funding. Please note that eligibility does not guarantee funding. Each application follows an evaluation process and financial support is granted according to the available budget and National Bank's objectives.
  2. Once your online application is submitted, you'll receive a confirmation email. Please allow three months for a response. The timeline may be longer if we receive a very large number of requests or if yours is incomplete. If this happens, we'll contact you for more information.

The selection process is guided by our donation policy, which serves as a tool in the evaluation of applications received. This process is designed to be as fair and transparent as possible and to maximize the impact on the community.

Eligibility criteria

For National Bank to consider your application, it needs to meet the following criteria:

  • Come from a non-profit organization

  • Address National Bank's priority sectors, as described in the donations section. These include health, education, community support, arts and culture, entrepreneurship, inclusion and diversity, and the environment.

Exclusions

At National Bank, we believe that all not-for-profit organizations deserve support. Unfortunately, we can't fund all the requests we receive, no matter how worthy they are. To standardize our approach, we prefer to focus our philanthropic efforts outside the following areas:

  • Organizations that are not registered under federal law

  • Organizations that receive financial support from United Way/Centraide

  • Provincial campaigns for organizations that we already support at the national level

  • Social clubs

  • Political parties, political organizations, or interest groups promoting a political ideology

  • Lobby and special-interest groups

  • Individual projects

  • Private foundations

  • Private elementary and high schools

  • Projects taking place outside Canada

  • Annual conferences and meetings

  • Audio, video or web productions

  • Charity auctions

Donation management

National Bank applies these criteria to all eligible requests, and the selection of organizations that receive financial support is based on those criteria. We consider the following:

  • Nature of the request and financial objective of the campaign

  • History of donations already made to the requesting organization

  • Value of our commitments in the requesting organization's sector

  • Analysis of comparable donations made in the same sector

  • Commitment of our employees to that cause or organization

Other types of donations

The majority of National Bank's contributions to organizations may be of a financial nature, but donations can sometimes take another form.

Equipment donations

Occasionally, National Bank will donate furniture and equipment that it is no longer being used. 

Responding to urgent needs

In addition to concerted action and our donation program, National Bank's in-branch fund raising efforts have been put to use to relieve urgent humanitarian needs and support on-the-ground operations of the Canadian Red Cross.

Certain information contained in this section relates to National Bank's targets and commitments in terms of sustainability, and the measures it will take to achieve them.

National Bank cautions readers that these are not guarantees of future performance, as such information is based on our current expectations, estimates and intentions and is subject to inherent risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond National Bank’s control and the effects of which are difficult to predict. These factors, risks and uncertainties are described in more detail in the Sustainability Report.

1. The Bank uses the Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials (PCAF) Standard to calculate its financed emissions from its financing and investment activities. For more details, see the most recent Climate Report.