Global Sustain Club: Roundtable on: “Green Financing”

Global Sustain Club, recognizing the importance of financing within the ESG framework in the daily operations of both large and small-medium enterprises, held a special informative event titled “Green Financing,” which took place at the Global Sustain headquarters (11 Amfitheas Avenue, Nea Smyrni) on May 22, 2024.

Participants at the event included:

• Ms. Sofia Papastefanou, Senior Officer at the Governance and Sustainability Department of Alpha Bank.
• Mr. George Antypas, President and CEO of Revival Consulting Services.

The discussion was moderated by Mr. Michael Spanos, Managing Director of Global Sustain.

Welcoming the guests and before giving the floor to the speakers, Mr. Spanos gave a brief introduction to the new guidelines regarding practices, standards, and regulations aimed at achieving economic returns while emphasizing the environmental and social benefits of green financing.

Taking the floor, Mr. Antypas presented Revival’s corporate profile, the range of services it provides, and its team of partners across Greece. Among other things, he described the strategic moves that every business must make towards sustainability, highlighting the triptych “Training – Integration – Culture”, the most critical stages for obtaining a green loan, mentioned the availability of digital tools and the adoption of new standards. Continuing, Mr. Antypas emphasized that, as a consulting firm, it has the appropriate digital tools to support small-medium enterprises to integrate them, moving into a net-zero economy. Presenting a case study of a resort that integrated green technologies and digital systems, the CEO stated that many large projects can be funded up to 50% from the Recovery and Resilience Fund (RRF), if they meet sustainable, technological, and digital criteria. Lastly, he stressed that training all stakeholders within a company, regardless of size, is mandatory. The so-called “Change Management” concerns each of us to achieve the organization’s goals.

Following her turn, Ms. Papastefanou presented Alpha Bank’s services, aiming to continuously increase the positive impact on society and the environment and reduce any negative effects. It was noted that, as one of the largest banks, it sets short and long-term goals that reflect its ESG priorities, monitors its performance on an annual basis through qualitative and quantitative indicators, and adjusts its strategy accordingly. A major concern for small-medium enterprises to integrate ESG practices is raising capital, which is why Alpha Bank continuously strives to optimize its processes and provide timely customer financing. Finally, Ms. Papastefanou mentioned various examples of Greek companies reducing their carbon footprint, such as:

• The construction of new sustainable buildings, renovation, installation of solar panels, and heat pumps.
• The packaging, recycling, and proper waste management of food companies.
• The new supply process, called “Electrification”, gradually eliminating fossil fuels as an energy source.

The event was attended by employees and C-Level executives from various sectors, such as banks, construction companies, manufacturing companies, food processing, health & safety, retail, consulting, communication, media, as well as representatives of Non-Governmental Organizations.

To see the highlighted video click HERE.