Mr. Kris Chantanotoke, Chief Executive Officer of Siam Commercial Bank, highlighted the bank's enduring partnership with the Thai community spanning over 116 years. The bank's core commitment lies in nurturing an organization rooted in sustainability, underpinned by principles of robust governance and a keen awareness of generating value for the organization, customers, and society. With the global challenge of climate change looming, the current business focus underscores the critical integration of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) policies into business strategies to fortify capability and sustain growth. The overarching operational objective is to achieve Net Zero within the bank's internal operations by 2030 and extend this commitment to lending and investments by 2050. This trajectory emphasizes propelling the bank, its customers, and society toward sustainable business practices and economic growth while safeguarding the environment. This roadmap is structured upon three guiding principles:

          1)   Adjusting internal operations to achieve Net Zero by 2030: The Bank has initiated gradual changes in energy consumption at its headquarters to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These changes involve strategies such as reducing energy usage in buildings by 10-15% through improved lighting, transitioning to LED bulbs, enhancing heat transfer systems for buildings, planning the installation of solar cells at the Bank’s head office, replacing over 3,000 air conditioners with environmentally friendly R32 refrigerant, and transitioning the entire vehicle fleet to 100% electrical operation. The completion of these operations is anticipated to reach 100% by 2028.

          2)  Supporting customers with sustainable financial products for Net Zero by 2050: The Bank aims to facilitate the transition to a low-carbon economy for all customer segments by providing a range of sustainable finance solutions. The objective is to extend loans and investments of 100 billion baht by 2025 while imparting knowledge and fostering an understanding of organizational adjustments needed for customers to adapt to a sustainable future collectively.

          3)  Driving societal change: The Bank shares knowledge with business customers, spanning large corporations and SMEs, to aid their transition toward sustainability. More than 500 companies have shown interest in engaging in social assistance projects promoting social and environmental sustainability. Over the last 30 years, this has included over 14 significant initiatives, such as reforestation and conservation projects, water resource procurement projects, youth development, and community projects. The focus remains on creating awareness within both the business and public sectors about the significance of environmental consciousness and sustainability. The aim is to unify the Thai community's perspective on collectively addressing these matters.