ESG transparency crucial for biz: Elliott

" We can use the way we go about our business to have positive impacts on the community."
Shayne Elliott, ANZ CEO

Speaking as the bank released its half-year Corporate Sustainability update, Elliott told BlueNotes on video he was pleased with the report but said ANZ was committed to doing even better.

“We can go about our business and not be thoughtful about the impacts we have,” he said. “Or we can use the way we go about our business to have positive impacts on the community. That’s the way we think at ANZ.”

The update details how ANZ is tracking against the sustainability targets it set at the end of 2016. Highlights from the update include $A5 billion funded and facilitated in low-carbon and sustainable projects and around 500,000 people reached through its financial inclusion programs.

Elliott acknowledged the need to report transparently on the bank’s social and environmental impact, telling Bluenotes the sustainability report is “equally as important as our profit and loss report”.

The update follows the May release of the bank’s half-year results where it announced a $A3.4 billion cash profit.

“We have multiple stakeholders … including employees, shareholders and the communities in which we operate … and it’s about getting those balances right,” Elliott said. “The reality is a thriving bank, a safe and respected bank, is good for all of our stakeholders.”

“The fact that we take sustainability seriously - it’s important to our people - means I know we can do better and we’ll strive to raise the standards over time”.

Watch the videos above to find out more.

Andrew Cornell is managing editor at BlueNotes