Commerzbank AG

The German Association for Environmental Management and Sustainability in Financial Institutions (VfU) as well as the sustainability working group of the Association of German Banks (BdB) and the Green and Sustainable Finance Cluster Germany are forums that enable us to maintain a dialogue with representatives of other financial service providers within the financial sector.

We are committed to the welfare of society and have longterm partnerships with selected non-profit organisations, particularly in the areas of education and sport. Their ideas and proposals are integrated in our corporate responsibility policy.

The capital markets  are influenced by analysts, rating agencies, institutional investors and private shareholders. We openly address questions regarding the responsible development of our business. We stay in dialogue at meetings with analysts, on Investor’s Day, at financial conferences and at road shows.

We meet our clients at our 1,100 branches in Germany. Regular client survey and proactive quality management provide our clients with further opportunities to indicate areas where there is potential for improvement.

The idea of sustainability is firmly embedded in our relationship with our suppliers. The standard for sustainable procurement and ethical guidelines set binding rules for environmental, social and ethical aspects of purchasing. Our major suppliers are given individually adapted ethical guidelines.

Proactive, transparent communication with our stakeholders takes place directly and via the media. Our communications approach enables us to deal with issues systematically and to maintain an ongoing dialogue with stakeholders.

We involve our employees via staff surveys and ideas management which provide a forum for expressing opinions and requests to management and helping to shape the company.

The dialogue with NGOs in which we can discuss the effects of our business activities on people and the environment is important to us.

We engage in a transparent dialogue about political and regulatory issues with the involved parties and representatives. Commerzbank has established the Guideline for Political Communication to define a clear framework for the appropriate cultivation of political contacts and interest representation. Our contact offices in Berlin and Brussels serve as an interface into the public sphere. We host different discussion rounds where our customers as well as political representatives, the bank’s management and consumer protectors can debate openly.

Research institutes and universities provide us with stimulus for the future orientation of our business operations. An example of this cooperation is the ongoing exchange of views between our Center of Competence for Renewable Energies and academic researchers from various disciplines.