Our guiding principles are the result of intensive dialogue. The four guiding principles lay down the framework for the Savings Banks’ policies, the products they offer, and for the initiatives they develop in order to fulfil their social responsibility. This triangle comprises Savings Banks’ commitment to citizens and the region, their stakeholder engagement, and their fulfilment of sustainability targets.
These guiding principles define our understanding of sustainability: through our actions, we aim to contribute to the reduction of the ecological footprint and to the enhancement of the quality of life for everyone, in order to preserve the foundations of our lives and those of future generations.
Savings Banks act to strengthen their business location; they exercise their influence to preserve a family-friendly environment with affordable housing, good education, unspoiled natural surroundings, futureoriented energy supply, attractive leisure activities, and the coexistence of generations. In our view, these are the cornerstones for sustainable development.
Wellfounded sustainability reporting contributes to the transparency of these services for lasting development and ensures the transparency of the sustainability enshrined in the Savings Banks.
She reporting system of the Savings Banks relates to the German Sustainability Code (Deutscher Nachhaltigkeitskodex – DNK) as well as to the GRI Financial Services Sector Disclosures (GRI FS) developed by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) established in 1997. This also includes a qualified reporting on the fulfilment of Savings Banks’ duty to the public, their orientation towards the common good, and the special sustainability aspects of their business strategy.
The German Federal Government’s Council for Sustainable Development has officially approved this reporting system as a basis for a Declaration of Compliance with the German Sustainability Code.
The German Savings Banks Finance Group has published its third "Report to Society" at a Federal level. At present, aggregated figures at federal level are not yet available for all indicators. We will, however, gradually expand the scope of the reporting system over the next few years, in line with the defined indicators.