• 51% of BBVA of employees based in Spain will work in buildings with the highest environmental certification by 2015 
  • Iberdrola, a leading renewable energy company in Spain, has been responsible for this green supply since January 1

BBVA has signed an agreement with Iberdrola for the electricity supplied to its branch network and buildings in Spain to come from renewable sources. The measure convers 3,091 branches and 71 buildings that BBVA has in Spain and will saveemissions for  180,000 tons of CO2 per year. This is equivalent to the annual emissions of 75,000 vehicles, a city of 50,000 inhabitants or planting 4.5 million trees.

With this measure, BBVA gives a significant boost to its Global Eco-Efficiency Plan, which establishes, among other things, a 6% reduction target of CO2 emissions per employee for the 2013-2015 period worldwide that will be greatly exceeded in Spain during the next few years thanks to this initiative.

BBVA has been strongly committed to the efficient management of natural resources and the future of the planet for years and this has been embodied in its Environmental Policy that has a global reach. This commitment is part of BBVA's Responsible Business Plan, which establishes eco-efficiency among its strategic lines.    

In 2008, BBVA became the first Spanish company to launch a Global Eco-Efficiency Plan, with reduction targets on water, electricity, paper and CO2 and building certification under the environmental management standard ISO 14001. With this plan, BBVA has managed to reduce water consumption by 30% and paper consumption by 17.3%. 

BBVA launched its second Global Eco-Efficiency Plan in 2013 with the following goals:

- 6% reduction in CO2 emissions (per employee).

- 3% reduction in paper consumption (per employee).

- 3% reduction in water consumption (per employee).

- 3% reduction in energy consumption (per employee).

- 33% of employees working in buildings awarded environmental certifications. 

New corporate headquarters committed to the environment 

The commitment to renewable energy supply includes the new corporate headquarters that BBVA is building in Madrid (La Vela). Upon completion of the works in 2015, more than half of the total number of BBVA employees in Spain will work in one of the 23 buildings certified under the environmental management standard ISO 14001. 

BBVA has 101 environmentally-certified buildings worldwide where 21,200 employees work, and 33% of the global workforce are expected to work in certified buildings in 2015. 

BBVA is especially committed to constructing its new buildings according to the highest sustainability standards. Consequently, the new corporate headquarters in Madrid, Mexico City, Houston, Santiago de Chile and Buenos Aires are being built (or have been built recently) according to LEED certification, which is the most prestigious standard in sustainable construction in the world. In 2013, BBVA became the first bank in Spain to receive this recognition, awarded specifically for its training center in Madrid (La Moraleja Campus).

BBVA is one of the leading worldwide corporations in the area of environmental management. The bank supports major international initiatives, such as the United Nations Global Compact, the United Nations Environmental Program Finance Initiative (UNEP FI), the Equator Principles and the Carbon Disclosure Project. In addition, in 2014 BBVA signed the Global Investor Statement on Climate Change and the Green Bonds Principles. 

Operations in renewable energy

BBVA has significantly supported its customers in renewable energy projects in all countries in which it operates. In recent years it has advised and participated in funding projects for more than 20,000 MW in America, Europe and Asia.

Contact details:  

Corporate Communications

Tel. +34 91 374 39 80

comunicacion.corporativa@bbva.com 

 For more financial information about BBVA visit:

http://shareholdersandinvestors.bbva.com

About BBVA

BBVA is a customer-centric global financial services group founded in 1857. The Group has a solid position in Spain, it is the largest financial institution in Mexico and it has leading franchises in South America and the Sunbelt Region of the United States. Its diversified business is biased to high-growth markets and it relies on technology as a key sustainable competitive advantage. BBVA ranks among the leading Euro zone banks in terms of ROE and efficiency. Corporate responsibility is at the core of its business model. BBVA fosters financial education and inclusion, and supports scientific research and culture. It operates with the highest integrity, a long-term vision and applies the best practices. The Group is present in the main sustainability indexes.

distributed by