Case study: How Fana Sparebank promotes a culture of responsible banking among its employees

Stakeholder identification and consultation

Please describe which stakeholders (or groups/ types of stakeholders) you have identified, consulted, engaged, collaborated or partnered with for the purpose of implementing the Principles and improving your bank’s impacts. This should include a high-level overview of how your bank has identified relevant stakeholders, what issues were addressed/results achieved and how they fed into the action planning process.

Stakeholder dialogue allows Fana Sparebank to prioritize and identify key focus areas for engagement. Throughout 2023, the main emphasis was placed on Key Resources, with the goal of increasing employee engagement and fostering a sense of ownership of initiatives within the organization.

Key Resources – Engage (High influence and high interest)
These stakeholders have both significant influence and strong interest in using it. Fana Sparebank aims to satisfy and actively involve them in its work.

• The board of directors, management, employees, subsidiaries, suppliers, and customers

Satisfy (High influence and low interest)
These stakeholders hold considerable influence but have limited interest in using it. It is important for Fana Sparebank to ensure their needs are met in relation to projects.

• Authorities, rating agencies and analysts, capital markets and stock exchanges, industry groups, and NGOs

Keep informed (Low influence and high interest)
These stakeholders are interested in the bank’s activities but have limited influence. They may provide valuable insights and should be kept informed about relevant developments.

• The local community, media, educational institutions, and research organizations.

Fana Sparebank also maintains open communication and actively participates in various networks with other stakeholders, including competitors and similar independent savings banks, to share experiences and collaborate.

How does Fana Sparebank promote a culture of responsible banking among its employees?

In its 2025 PRB Reporting and Self-Assessment Template Fana Sparebank reports that it took the following actions to promote a culture of responsible banking among its employees:

Fana Sparebank employs a full-time sustainability officer and has established a sustainability group consisting of staff from various departments and disciplines. Additionally, there are sustainability committees at the departmental level to engage employees, promote involvement, and coordinate sustainability-related activities.

The sustainability group oversees the progress of implementing the bank’s sustainability strategy and reports to the management team.

Employee-led initiatives have prompted Fana Sparebank to take steps that exemplify future expectations, such as certifying the bank as an Eco-Lighthouse (Norwegian: “Miljøfyrtårn”), promoting the use of public transportation for work travel, introducing a weekly meat-free day in the cafeteria, installing beehives on the roof of Fana Sparebank’s headquarters, and participating in an annual shoreline clean-up of a nearby lake.

To further boost engagement, the initiative Bærekraftsskolen (Sustainability School) has been established, aiming to enhance ESG competencies among all employees. A strategy for ESG training has been developed, incorporating a mix of e-learning, workshops, and presentations on sustainability topics.

UN Principles for Responsible Banking: Accelerating a positive global transition for people and the planet

With over 300 signatory banks representing almost half of the global banking industry, the Principles for Responsible Banking are the world’s foremost sustainable banking framework. Through these Principles, the banking community takes action to align core strategies, decision-making, lending and investment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and international agreements such as the Paris Climate Agreement.

FBRH Principles for Responsible Banking (PRB) Assurance:

First class PRB assurance services: The result of solid, hands-on ESG/ Sustainability experience

• • • FBRH is a GRI Certified Training Partner (Global), ISEP Training Centre and a member of CPD.
    • FBRH builds trust. Over 200 reviews from top professionals from around the world demonstrate our ability to build strong, trusting business relationships.
    • FBRH possesses a unique skill set that combines ESG/sustainability certified training, experience in advisory services and report preparation, and ESG/sustainability report assurance.

The combination of all the above empowers FBRH to provide first class Principles for Responsible Banking (PRB) assurance services.

References:

This case study is based on published information by Fana Sparebank, located at the link below. For the sake of readability, we did not use brackets or ellipses. However, we made sure that the extra or missing words did not change the report’s meaning. If you would like to quote these written sources from the original please revert to the following link:

https://www.fanasparebank.no/siteassets/dokumenter/rapporter/fana-sparebank/fns-klimainitiativ/prb-reporting-and-self-assessment-2025.pdf

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