What is a customer owned bank?
The customer-owned model focuses on delivering great value to customers, not on profits for shareholders.
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Our Environmental, Social and Governance Approach
Learn about our approach to sustainable and ethical business practices in our operations.
At Heritage, we've always acted with the greater good of our community in mind. As Australia's largest customer-owned bank, acting responsibly and ethically has been inherent in our operations since we were founded in 1875. At our core, we exist to serve the interests of our members, and their communities, not to maximise profit for shareholders.
We understand that the longevity of our society depends on the sustainability of our environment, our communities and our business practices. This is why we've developed our Environmental, Social and Governance Framework.
"As a member-owned organisation, we have the responsibility of being guardians of our members’ financial future."
Our sustainability approach
- We exist to serve our members
- We serve our members by supporting the communities they live in
- Acting ethically and upholding our values is central to our approach
- Seeking greater sustainability is essential in meeting our responsibilities to our members
Our guiding principles
Environmental
We will:
- Reduce the use of natural resources in our business operations wherever possible
- Reduce our contribution to global warming wherever possible
- Avoid contributing to unacceptable ecological impacts caused by the activities of customers, suppliers and business partners
- Support activities that contribute to greater environmental sustainability
Social
We will:
- Embed internationally recognised human rights standards within our operations
- Act to reduce inequality and exclusion for particularly vulnerable members of our communities
- Contribute to increased social equality by assisting people to achieve financial security through the products, services and advice we provide
- Contribute to increased social equality through the activities we undertake to support communities, consistent with our mutual values
- Avoid business relationships with others who may act in violation of human rights standards or contribute to negative social or health outcomes
- Avoid lending to or investing in industries that contribute significantly to adverse health or social outcomes
Governance
We will:
- Adopt high standards of corporate governance
- Act with the interests of our members driving our decisions
- Set expectations for our staff to meet high standards of ethical behaviour
- Take measures to prevent the specific risks inherent to our business, including money laundering, terrorism financing, and other financial crimes, as well as bribery and corruption.
"We best serve our members by acting to protect their future and that of future generations."
Learn more about our approach...
Download our complete Environmental, Social and Governance Position Statement.
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