EQS-News

ProCredit group reaches key milestones in its comprehensive sustainability strategy in 2023 and defines further targets - Seite 3

 

Our staff are essential to the success of our sustainability strategy. Last year, the number of employees increased visibly to 3,951 (2022: 3,543). Within its own workforce, the ProCredit group greatly emphasises a positive working environment characterised by diversity, flat hierarchies and open communication. To further strengthen the importance of diversity and inclusion as part of our core values, all employees participated in a Code of Conduct training session in 2023, totalling more than 21,600 hours of training. Beginning in 2024, regular training sessions on diversity and inclusion will be conducted on an annual basis. To further promote gender equality, the ProCredit group developed a Gender Action Plan in 2023 and joined the 2X Global initiative, which will support capacity-building and alignment with the best international practices. For the first time, the numbers behind the group’s commitment to women-owned businesses were unveiled: slightly more than 20% of the loans we disbursed to our MSME clients in 2023 have directly supported companies with at least 50% of female ownership.

 

Additionally, the group-wide guideline for sustainable suppliers, which covers various ESG criteria, was used to screen 90% of our suppliers, out of which 40% were classified as sustainable.

 

As a bank committed to fostering economic growth and social progress in South Eastern and Eastern Europe, ProCredit drives innovation, contributes to building resilient communities, and supports job creation and wealth accumulation through the empowerment of MSMEs. For example, using the Joint Impact Model, we estimate that by the end of 2023 more than 193,000 jobs had been created through our loan portfolio. Around 42% of these jobs are held by women, underscoring our dedication to gender inclusivity. Additionally, 7% of the jobs empower youth, thereby reducing brain drain and driving economic progress in our countries of operation.