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Environmental standards loom ever larger in banks' lending decisions, by Susanne Bergius, ENDS Report, December 2008
German | English

60 Second Profile on the Equator Principles, Good Practice Newsletter from ICMM, December 2008

Ecology Stamp on Project Finance, by Susanne Bergius, Handelsblatt, 16 July 2008 (in German)

Banks increase their environmental requirements

Promoting Greater Responsibility in Project Financing by Natasha Cappon, Canada, Spring, 2008

China to bring in green loan benchmark, 25 January, 2008

A Question of Principles, Infrastructure Magazine, by Kimberley Gaskin, June 2007

Citigroup to scale up its green spending,The Financial Times, 8 May 2007.

Leaders challenge 'business as usual', Guardian, 6 November 2006

Financial Sector Responsibility

Building a better world (for investors and whales), The Banker, 3 July 2006

Update on the Equator Principles - 2006 Revision, Allens Arthur Robinson, August 2006

The Miami Herald July 31, 2006.

Building sustainability into syndication, Project Finance - July/August 2006

For Citigroup, Greening Starts With Listening

For people and planet, San Francisco Chronicle, 4 April 2006

Conservation You Can Bank On (Christopher Wright) (PDF - 91k)

'A New Environment', Legal Week 2 February 2006 (Paul Watchman and Charles July of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer) (PDF - 2572k)

'Banks Business and Human Rights' (2006) 2 JIBFL 46 (Paul Watchman of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer) (PDF - 59k)

Polluters Clean Up Act to Attract Lenders, The Moscow Times, 12 October 2005

The Equator Principles - guidelines for responsible project financing, Focus, Allens Arthur Robinson, August 2005 (PDF - 122k)

Corporate Green, Washington Post, 11 May 2005

Taking The Earth Into Account, Time Europe, 9 May 2005

Principles in Question, The Banker, March 2005 (PDF - 97k)

Banking on the future, Euromoney Syndicated Lending Handbook 2005, December 2004 (PDF - 38k)

A Matter of Principles, Global Finance, January 2005

Principle Finance, Euromoney, October 2004

Putting principles into practice, Environmental Finance, June 2004

'Greening' of financial sector gathering speed, Financial Times, 4 June 2004

"Equator - Risk and Sustainability," from Project Finance International, 2004 Yearbook. (PDF - 429k)

NGOs Bring Bank Scrutiny Back on Track, Ethical Corporation Online, 2 May 2004

Banks contest ban proposed for coal and oil extraction, Financial Times, 5 April 2004

A Matter of Principal, Project Finance, 3 March 2004

The Equator Principles: a milestone or just good PR?, Global Agenda, 26 January 2004

Mizuho To Adopt Environmental Standards In Project Financing, CNNfn, 26 October 2003

Dexia adhθre aux "Equator principles", La Tribune, 22 September 2003 (in French)

Western Banks Set Standards for Eco-Friendly Lending. Japanese Banks Far Behind. NGO Keeping Close Watch, Nikkei, 5 September 2003

A point of principle, Global Finance, July 2003

Equator Principles — Why Indian Banks Too Should be Guided by Them, The Hindu, 25 July 2003

Project finance — Standards for Lending, Financial Mail, 25 July 2003

Financiers must meet criteria, Business Day, 14 July 2003

Banks agree new loan guidelines, Ethical Performance, July 2003

Principled finance?, Project Finance, June 2003 Cover Story

Banks club together to turn their notes green, The Age, 22 June 2003

Nikkei Financial Daily, 11 June 2003 (in Japanese - PDF)

Banks' green pledge earns mixed response, swissinfo, 10 June 2003

Greening the banks, The Economist, 7-13 June 2003

Leading banks sign up to project finance principles, Environmental Finance, 6 June 2003

Bancos adotam princνpios de responsabilidade social, Valor Econτmico, 5 June 2003 (in Portuguese)

Zehn Banken werden zu Umweltschόtzern, Die Tageszeitung, 5 June 2003 (in German)

Major Banks Endorse Equator Principles, The Peninsula, Qatar, 5 June 2003

The 'Equator Principles' adopted by leading banks, The Times of India, 5 June 2003

Westpac's principles, Australian Financial Review, 5 June 2003

Loan rules with an eye on nature, International Herald Tribune, 5 June 2003

10 global banks endorse socially responsible "Equator Principles", Agence France Presse, 5 June 2003

"THE FLIP SIDE", CNN, 4 June 2003 (transcript)

IFC Head's Remarks at Equator Principles Press Conference, 4 June 2003

Banks sign up for responsible lending accord, Financial Times, 4 June 2003

Banks Accept Environmental Rules, The Wall Street Journal, 4 June 2003

Banks in drive for project principles, Financial Times, 9 April 2003

Four banks adopt IFC agreement, Financial Times, 7 April 2003

Contact

Contact for information about the Equator Principles
Twelve Banks Speak Out on the Extractive Industries Review

WASHINGTON, DC, 5 May 2004 — Eleven of the banks that have adopted the Equator Principles have written a joint letter to the World Bank President, James Wolfensohn, to express their views on the Extractive Industries Review (EIR). Another bank has sent a separate letter to Mr. Wolfensohn stating its concerns.

In the joint letter, the banks expressed their concerns about EIR recommendations that the World Bank Group (WBG) withdraw from lending to coal immediately and to oil by 2008. The letter states that the banks believe the "EIR has not given sufficient consideration to the fact that the extractive industries are essential to global economic growth and poverty reduction, and that for some countries the extractive industries represent a very important means of creating revenue for government programs."

The banks expressed concern about an EIR recommendation that it should be a precondition of WBG investment that countries have robust governance criteria in place. The banks said that "a country's current inability to meet robust WBG governance criteria should not prevent that country from gaining access to the support, both financial and structural, that is required in order to develop such governance mechanisms. Otherwise, countries that are most in need of such developmental assistance could be excluded ... and will either remain mired in poverty or find less desirable paths to develop their extractive potential."

They also expressed concern about EIR recommendations concerning 'prior informed consent,' and stated the view that the implementation of the WBG Safeguard Policies is intended to result in effective consultation with affected groups and tangible benefits for local communities.

The banks did support the EIR recommendation for increased transparency on revenues paid to governments.

For the full text of the banks' letter, see EIR Banks Letter (pdf - 90k).


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Official Adopters

ABN AMRO Bank N.V. – EPFI
Absa Bank Limited – EPFI
Access Bank – EPFI
ANZ – EPFI
Arab African International Bank – EPFI
ASN Bank NV – EPFI
Banco Bradesco – EPFI
Banco de la República Oriental del Uruguay – EPFI
Banco do Brasil – EPFI
Banco Galicia – EPFI
Banco Santander – EPFI
Bancolombia S.A. – EPFI
BankMuscat – EPFI
Bank of America – EPFI
Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ – EPFI
Barclays plc – EPFI
BBVA – EPFI
BES Group – EPFI
BMCE Bank – EPFI
BMO Financial Group – EPFI
BNP Paribas – EPFI
Caixa Econτmica Federal – EPFI
Caja Navarra – EPFI
Crιdit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank – EPFI
CIBC – EPFI
CIFI – EPFI
Citigroup Inc. – EPFI
CORPBANCA – EPFI
Credit Suisse Group – EPFI
Dexia Group – EPFI
DnB Nor – EPFI
EFIC – EPFI
EKF – EPFI
Eksportfinans ASA – EPFI
Export Development Canada – EPFI
FirstRand Bank Ltd – EPFI
FMO – EPFI
Fortis Bank NV/SA – EPFI
HSBC Group – EPFI
Industrial Bank Co., Ltd – EPFI
ING Group – EPFI
Intesa Sanpaolo – EPFI
Itau Unibanco S/A – EPFI
JPMorgan Chase – Associate
KBC – EPFI
KfW IPEX-Bank – EPFI
la Caixa – EPFI
Lloyds Banking Group Plc – EPFI
Manulife – EPFI
Mizuho Corporate Bank – EPFI
Millennium bcp – EPFI
National Australia Bank – EPFI
Nordea – EPFI
Nedbank Group – EPFI
Rabobank Group – EPFI
RBC – EPFI
Scotiabank – EPFI
SEB – EPFI
Societe Generale – EPFI
Standard Bank Group – EPFI
Standard Chartered Bank – EPFI
SMBC – EPFI
TD Bank Financial Group – EPFI
The Royal Bank of Scotland – EPFI
UniCredit Bank AG – EPFI
Wells Fargo & Company – Associate
WestLB AG – EPFI
Westpac Banking Corporation – EPFI

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World Bank/IFC Links

World Bank Guidelines and Criteria Referenced in the Equator Principles

Development Indicators Database

IFC Guidelines and Policies Referenced in the Equator Principles

Sector-Specific EHS Guidelines

Performance Standards


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