How a Focus on ESG Led to a Bank's Carbon Neutrality Achievement
By Stacie Haas, Fifth Third Bank
Feb 26, 2021 1:30 PM ET
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Originally published by Smart Energy Decisions
Public companies have a responsibility to deliver long-term sustainable value, but the definition of that value has evolved beyond a return on investments for institutional and individual investors. The definition today is greatly expanded to include environmental, social and governance matters, or ESG. In 2019, Fifth Third Bank, a top 10 regional bank headquartered in Cincinnati, determined to be a top quartile performer in terms of ESG reporting. Just over a year later, Fifth Third became the first regional commercial bank to achieve carbon neutrality, an achievement that wouldn’t have been possible without a strategic focus on ESG.