The Citadele Bank will take part in the global Earth Hour project on Saturday, March 23. Between 8:30 and 9:30 PM, the bank will switch off its headquarters facade lights in Riga, as well as the lighted signs on the building’s roof and above the Citadele Branch’s entrance. Citadele has a responsible attitude toward the use of natural resources on an everyday basis.
“By taking part in Earth Hour, we are confirming our responsible attitude toward the use of natural resources, and we focus a lot of attention on how best to use those resources every day,” says Citadele board chairman Guntis Beļavskis. “That allows us to help in improving the surrounding environment, as well as to save on administrative costs.”
Beļavskis goes on to say that “even small changes in everyday operations allow us to reduce spending on resources to a considerable degree. Citadele has rapidly reduced the circulation of paper documents, replacing them with various electronic registers and systems so as to reduce printing, copying and circulation costs. We have reduced the number of pages in our various forms. At meetings, we are learning how to deal only with electronic documents. We have begun to install fax servers which will allow us to receive faxes only in electronic form. We will also be equipping our printers with a system that makes it possible to print on both sides of a piece of paper, thus reducing the amount of paper that we use. Thanks to all of this, we have substantially reduced the amount of paper that we use in our work.”
The Citadele Bank calls on all of its clients to use the electronic system for everyday financial transactions, choosing electronic bills instead of hard copy ones and making the payments via the Online banking system, as opposed to going to a branch. That, too, makes it possible to reduce the use of paper, as well as to save time and money.
Earth Hour
Earth Hour is organised by the Worldwide Fund for Nature. Companies, local governments and individuals are asked to switch off the lights for one hour so as to symbolically demonstrating readiness to help the Earth and to demand firm decisions related to the problem of climate change. Earth Hour is a symbolic event which allows everyone in the world to demonstrate attitudes and actions toward environmental sustainability. Initially Earth Hour was the largest-ever event held to focus on climate change, and millions of people all around the world take part every year.
About Citadele Bank
Citadele is a local Latvian bank which offers banking, financial and asset management services. Citadele group is represented in the Latvian market as well as in 9 other countries. Citadele Bank is the only collaboration partner of American Express in Latvia and Lithuania who is entitled to issue American Express credit cards. In 2012 the bank was recognized as the best governed state-owned enterprise in the Baltic States according to a study conducted by the Baltic Institute of Corporate Governance. Citadele’s vision is to become the most valuable local financial group in the Baltic States. 75% minus one Citadele Bank’s shares are possessed by the State Joint Stock Company Privatization agency on behalf of the Latvian State and the owner of 25% plus one share is the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).