Groupe BPCE

In terms of senior leadership accountability, the responsibility for sustainability issues within Groupe BPCE lies with the supervisory board. The financial institution has a gender-balanced board of directors where seven out of 19 members are women.

As a member of the Net Zero Banking Alliance the financial institution has set a target of net-zero financed emissions by 2050. It discloses the key sectors it has identified as priorities to engage with on climate change, while its subsidiaries, Natixis Investment Managers and Mirova are members of Climate Action 100+. Groupe BPCE discloses the aggregate amount and share of finance it devotes to green activities. It has also set 2024 targets for most of its identified climate solutions and tracks progress against them. Groupe BPCE’s subsidiary, Natixis provides evidence that it requires companies to which it provides project financing to have a strategy addressing their nature- and biodiversity-related impacts. The financial institution’s subsidiary, Mirova discloses the amount of its investments in nature- and biodiversity-related solutions and it has set targets related to them.

Groupe BPCE has a grievance mechanism accessible to all workers to raise human rights complaints or concerns. Furthermore, it discloses the proportion of women in its total direct operations workforce for each employee category. It also has a policy prohibiting bribery and corruption and takes steps to identify and address them. Groupe BPCE discloses the amount of finance it directs towards small- and medium-sized enterprises.

In terms of its approach to senior leadership accountability, Groupe BPCE has an opportunity to link the remuneration of its executive or management teams to sustainability performance criteria. The group also has an opportunity to reach at least 40% female representation in senior leadership positions and disclose the ratio of basic salary and remuneration of women to men in its total direct operations workforce for each employee category. The financial institution could also disclose the actions taken to address any pay gaps. Furthermore, Groupe BPCE has an opportunity to describe its engagement approach on sustainability themes and impact topics with clients and investees, across its financing activities.

Groupe BPCE could disclose interim absolute emissions reduction targets at the group level. Furthermore, it could disclose alignment with the Paris Agreement as one of its engagement priorities with companies to which it provides financial services. Groupe BPCE has an opportunity to align its green exposures with internationally recognised frameworks. No evidence was found regarding the financial institution’s approach to fossil fuels that spans across the fossil fuel value chain and across its financing activities, such as the amount or share of finance it directs towards fuels, or its stance on financing companies with new fossil fuel projects. Besides engagement with investees on the topic of nature and biodiversity, Group BPCE has an opportunity to commit to minimising the negative impacts it has on nature and biodiversity across its financing activities.

Groupe BPCE has an opportunity to publish a policy statement committing it to respect human rights laid out in the UN Guiding Principles and the ILO declaration on fundamental rights at work. Furthermore, it has an opportunity to describe a comprehensive process for identifying its human rights risks and impacts across all its activities, especially its financing activities. It could also set up one or more mechanisms accessible to all external individuals and communities who may be adversely impacted by the financial institution to raise human rights complaints or concerns. Groupe BPCE could disclose the proportion of its total direct operations workforce for each employee category by age group. The financial institution has an opportunity to disclose the amount of finance directed towards women-owned businesses, another usually excluded groups and low-income developing countries.