UT Bank goes greener

UT Bank has continued to lead the green business revolution in Ghana by partnering with Environment360’s ‘Evolve Recycling; campaign. UT Bank, which is often dubbed the ‘green bank’, has recently implemented a paper and plastic recycling scheme into its business operations.

The bank is currently piloting the Evolve recycling programme at its headquarters at Manet Towers, Airport City. The bank hopes to adapt the same green strategy for all its branches within the next two years.

“We are excited to be part of Evolve and have a positive impact on the environment and the community we serve. We are dedicated to creating sustainable communities and believe that by adopting a recycling programme, we are taking the tangible steps to improve the lives and livelihoods of many of our community members,” stated Maria Oquaye, Corporate Affairs and Marketing, UT Bank.

Evolve, which is a recycling initiative led by Environment360 and supported by Voltic and the Plastic Waste Collectors Association, is the first organised community collection scheme for plastic in Accra. Although the programme has traditionally focused on plastic, UT Bank is the first partner to incorporate paper recycling into the community scheme.

A recent report done by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) named Ghana the 7th-dirtiest country in the world. Experts have estimated that each day in Accra 3,000 metric tonnes of waste is produced; of which 40% goes uncollected -- polluting waterways, communities and contributing to a variety of environmental diseases such as cholera and malaria.

Notably, according to the 2010-2015 National Environmental Sanitation Strategy and Action Plan, Materials in Transition (NESSAP, MiNT), the majority of Accra’s waste is actually recyclable. Although companies have begun to tackle organic and human waste, other pollution -- particularly plastic pollution -- continues to be a growing problem in Accra.

UT Bank commented that the floods which occurred on the 3rd of June 2015 accelerated its urge to develop more sustainable ways of handling and reducing waste.

“As one of the largest banks in the country, we know that we consume a lot of paper and plastic in the course of business. We also know that we can tailor our consumption and behavior patterns to limit the environmental impact we have on our community. Following some research, we decided that an excellent way to address this issue was to engage Environment360 to help us handle our waste in a more ethical manner.”

Environment360 is an Accra-based NGO that creates sustainable communities by providing environmental education for children and creating community recycling programmes. The organisation uses funds raised from its recycling programmes to invest in educational resources for children and training for teachers, particularly those in coastal areas.

The organisation says it is excited to work with one of the premier banks in Accra as the programme expands.

“Environment360 strongly believes in supporting the United Nations Sustainability Goals -- particularly Goal 12, which is to ensure sustainable consumption and productions patterns. We are excited that UT Bank has taken the lead in creating a sustainable business environment and we hope that other responsible corporations will follow suit,” said Cordie Aziz, Founder and Executive Director of Environment360.

UT Bank is also inviting its community members to join in its quest to create a cleaner, greener Accra by allowing community members to utilise their recycling containers as well.

“Here at UT Bank, we believe in the spirit of family and community. We strongly encourage community members to support our efforts by joining the programme and disposing of their paper and plastic recyclables at our designated containers,” said Maria Oquaye, Corporate Affairs and Marketing, UT Bank.