SEB Estonia is now purchasing over 75 per cent of its power from renewable sources of energy. A number of the bank’s buildings, such as the Tornimäe headquarters, have made a complete transition to green energy.
“SEB operates in 21 countries, and in 2009 alone we pumped 50,000 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere,” says Riho Unt, acting head of SEB Estonia.
He says although that’s not a huge amount compared to some industrial companies the same size, it still adds to global warming, and that is not good for the environment.
"Our goal is to cut our emissions by half within the next five years and using green energy will help us to accomplish that.”
The heating, lighting and other energy consumption of SEB’s office buildings accounted for 60 per cent of all SEB’s carbon emissions in 2008. SEB focuses on reducing these emissions, using less energy in buildings and making greater use of renewable energy.
The green energy SEB purchase is produced from 100 per cent renewable sources, primarily wind and water.
“We’re pleased to see one of Estonia’s biggest companies taking such a responsible environmental stance,” says Margus Rink from Eesti Energia, SEB’s supplier of green energy. “As one of our biggest clients, their use of green energy will boost the total amount of green energy being used in the country by almost 20 per cent.”