VP Bank’s business ecology

Business ecology data are currently compiled only for the Liechtenstein site, which represents approximately 68 per cent of all employees. VP Bank plans to implement Group-wide reporting in the coming years. 

As a general rule, VP Bank sends out client asset statements only once a year; daily and quarterly statements are printed and mailed only at the express request of the client. In recent years, this practice has led to a considerable reduction in the use of paper for forms and vouchers. For example, the number of printed forms declined steadily from 655,000 in 2005 to 362,600 in 2017. The number of envelopes used was reduced from von 1.5 million in 2004 to 665,816 last year. 

Paper consumption decreased from 68.03 tonnes in 2004 to 42.45 tonnes in 2017, including a 4.45 tonne reduction just in the past year. Electronic banking has contributed greatly to this long-term trend, thanks to its e-post functionality, which is growing in popularity even as paper use declines. Paper consumption per employee was 0.08 tonnes in 2017, the lowest amount since 2004 (0.15 tonnes). 

VP Bank prints its publications – including this Annual Report – on environmentally certified paper. FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification guarantees that the paper is produced from wood harvested in exemplary, environmentally friendly forestry operations. Since 2010, payment order forms have also been printed on FSC-­certified paper. When choosing printing firms, VP Bank gives preference to those which offer climate-neutral ­printing services.

The number of printed copies of the Bank’s annual and semi-annual reports has declined by more than 76 per cent over the past nine years thanks to the introduction of order cards and references to digital documents. The print runs for these publications fell from 7,000 in 2007 to just 1,700 in 2016. 

For the Vaduz and Zurich locations, the number of e-mailed digital documents has steadily increased: from approximately 130,250 in 2007 to more than 1,204,603 in 2013, then 2,060,375 in 2016 and finally 2,116,247 last year. As to the number of e-post transmissions, the 25 per cent increase recorded in 2014 was followed by further rises ­ of 11 per cent in 2015, 23.4 per cent in 2016 and 2.7 per cent in 2017. Since 2010, all VP Bank Group communications include the tagline “Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail”.

Water consumption trended steadily lower from 2008 through 2014, although in recent years it rose again slightly due to the increased number of employees. Water consumption per employee decreased continuously from 15.3 m³ in 2009 to 9.6 m³ in 2015 before posting a modest increase in the ensuing years. The slight increase in per-employee consumption in 2017 (10.0 m³) was due to above-average hot weather in the summer months of June through August as well as the installation of water coolers as part of the participation in the “Drink & Donate” programme (see “Responsibility as an Employer”, p. 58).

VP Bank Group has introduced numerous initiatives to promote responsible energy use. They include the envi­ronmentally friendly renovation of the Bank’s headquarters in Vaduz and construction of the new service centre in Triesen, the use of geothermal energy for heating and cooling and the implementation of motion-activated lighting. In 2016, renovation work began on the more than 20-year-old ventilation system in the Giessen building, which was replaced by an energy-efficient installation with heat recovery in 2017. 

At the Liechtenstein facilities, most of the lighting is regulated by a control system with motion detectors. This technology reduces power consumption by anywhere from 20 per cent to 40 per cent compared to manually activated lighting. When replacing or procuring lighting fixtures, preference is given to high-efficiency LED technology. In 2014, LED bulbs were purchased instead of the once-customary fluorescent tubes, and the old ceiling light fixtures are being gradually replaced. In 2017, the company also began to replace floor lamps with LED lamps. The energy savings afforded by LED lighting over traditional lighting sources amounts to roughly 75 per cent.

Total energy consumption per employee at the Bank’s Liechtenstein facilities has fallen from 9,755 kWh in 2010 to 6,169 kWh currently. Power consumption at the head office has been declining since 2008 thanks to efficiency-enhancing measures. The replacement of the central heating system and renovation of the building’s ventilation system also contributed to the reduced energy use. Modern ventilation systems recover and reuse waste heat from the offices and working areas. 

For the past 23 years, a photovoltaic solar power generator has been in operation on the roof of the building in Vaduz. It supplies environmentally friendly energy that is fed into VP Bank’s power grid. Thanks to upgrades of the control system for this installation, solar power generation in­-creased continually from 2009 to 2011. However, over the past five years it has declined mainly due to defective modules. In 2017 the solar installation at the Giessen building was renovated and expanded, which increased its performance by 133 per cent compared to the old installation. In the years ahead, two additional solar installations will be constructed on the roof of the main building and the administrative building in Triesen. The self-generated solar power contribution will thereby increase steadily from its current level of 3.5 per cent of overall power consumption. 

Since January 2017, the power supplied to VP Bank by Liechtenstein utilities has come exclusively from hydro and solar power sources. The related “LiStrom Natur” energy product consists entirely of renewable Liechtenstein energy, of which 85 per cent is generated through hydro and 15 per cent through solar power sources. 

The differing types of buildings at VP Bank Group call for an overall concept that brings every one of its Liechtenstein facilities up to the same level in terms of power technology. The goal of this concept is to harmonise the existing installations, optimise the distribution of power and efficiently exploit any ambient heat loss. To that end, energy flow meters were installed in 2009 in order to record and optimise the flows of energy from heating and cooling. The evaluation is adjusted to take seasonal fluctuations into account, and the results are integrated into the measures for fine-tuning the Bank’s overall energy supply. In 2017 this concept was largely completed following the renovation of the ventilation system at the Giessen facility.

The energy supply project is also based on the use of leading-edge technologies that enable heating through heat recovery systems. A new central cooling system in operation since 2014 affords both operational safety and energy efficiency. The waste heat from this system can also be reused for heating purposes. 

With the implementation of this system, the lion’s share of the overall concept has been realised. The next step is to plan for the use of groundwater in Vaduz. Through this initiative, existing groundwater can be used for cooling in summer and heating in winter. Discussions with the environmental protection agency have already been held and two pilot holes were drilled. The environmental protection agency has examined the viability of the plan; the next steps toward implementation are expected in 2018/19. 

A separate, more detailed energy report for the Liechtenstein facilities is produced each year and can be accessed on the VP Bank website.

The Facility Management & Services unit is responsible for the Bank’s environmental sustainability. VP Bank is a member of the Swiss Network for Sustainability and Management.

VP Bank also participates actively in Mobility Management working group of the Liechtenstein Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI). 

VP Bank is a member of Öbu, the Swiss think tank for environmental, social and management topics and network for sustainable business operations.

Ten years ago, VP Bank introduced a mobility concept at the head office in Vaduz. It features financial incentives for using public transportation, as well as a graduated fee structure for employee parking spaces. The concept is self-financing: rental proceeds from the car park are used, among others, for bonus payments to employees who forgo the use of personal cars and therefore do not occupy parking spaces.

Employees using public transport are also offered a free pass for bus and railway transport within Liechtenstein. The revenues from the Bank’s mobility management are also in part used for the reimbursement of the pass. In 2017, 107 employees took advantage of this offer. 

This concept motivates employees to form carpools. VP Bank also offers the free use of Mobility Cars, an arrangement that has met with an enthusiastic response. The total number of kilometres driven for business purposes with the Mobility cars was 18,216 in 2017, or roughly the same as the18,831 km travelled in 2016. The use of a videoconferencing system has helped to reduce employees’ business travel to the VP Bank’s international locations. In addition, every employee has the ability to organise in-house discussions with other employees using online meeting tools so that the contents of documents can be viewed and modified simultaneously on multiple screens. 

The Mobility concept is a success. It has achieved its goals of reduced automobile use, greater environmental awareness and support for public transportation. This concept has set an example for the region, and in 2011 was awarded the “Zurich Climate Prize”, which honours measures to improve energy efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions. 

In 2015, VP Bank acquired an all-electric passenger vehicle. It is available for regional trips between Zurich and Vaduz as well as for accompanying clients. Since 2015, this vehicle has logged an annual average of between 8,500 and 10,300 kilometres.

In 2017 as in previous years, many VP Bank employees took part in the “Bike to work” event sponsored by the Liechtenstein Chamber of Commerce and Industry. In September 2017, VP Bank again participated in the European Mobility Week and in doing so supported the “Car-free – Care-free” campaign, which seeks to promote the ease of commuting to work using public transport instead of by car or motorcycle. 

Through its “Tailwind” campaign, the Principality of Liechtenstein certifies bicycle-friendly businesses. VP Bank, too, endorses the use of two-wheelers as an integral part of business mobility and has received this certification on numerous occasions. Employees in Liechtenstein often travel between the buildings in the neighbouring towns of Vaduz and Triesen for meetings and training, with bus passes made available to them for this purpose. In the summer of 2016, VP Bank also acquired four electrobikes, which are available to employees at no cost and are widely used. 

Ride-sharing is another means by which VP Bank seeks to further reduce automobile travel. The online platform Comovee provides contact information for all registered employees in the vicinity and enables all employees to form carpools. The smart map overview enables users to select potential ride shares on a geographic basis. VP Bank and other large companies in Liechtenstein use this platform, which thereby offers a broad range of potential ride-sharers. This initiative helps to reduce commuter traffic and parking problems and is good for the environment.