ESG Self-image

For NORD/LB CBB, ESG is first and foremost a question of attitude: the direct and indirect support of ecologically, socially and ethically sustainable development through its own corporate actions is part of its self-image. As a company and public player, it has a duty to take responsibility for all the social, environmental and economic impacts of its business activities, while also ensuring that the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement to limit global warming to a maximum of 2°C compared with the pre-industrial era are met. For this reason, the implementation of ESG is an integral part of NORD/LB CBB's business strategy. The bank is committed to helping its customers prepare for success in an increasingly environmentally and socially sustainable world.

NORD/LB CBB intends to make an appropriate contribution to achieving the desired goals within the framework of implementing the existing requirements and taking into account the intended redimensioning. This is being done in close cooperation with NORD/LB through its involvement in the Group project CARE, which has as its mission the implementation of existing regulatory requirements in the context of ESG and the anchoring of ESG in NORD/LB's business model. At NORD/LB CBB, the implementation of ESG in the bank is not part of a project, but takes place in a project-based approach in the line. The different departments are supported in their management by Risk Control & Strategy. Risk Control & Strategy serves as the central internal and external point of contact for all ESG-related issues.

The growing strategic importance of ESG issues with the current focus on climate and environmental aspects means that NORD/LB CBB is anchoring these issues in the organization in a new way. The following four principles are fundamental for NORD/LB CBB and guide the bank's sustainable activities.

• Responsibility: By orienting itself towards the UN Global Compact and taking its principles into account in the bank's internal guidelines, NORD/LB CBB implements responsible action with regard to ecological, economic and social effects within the scope of its business and operating activities.
• Stakeholder orientation: Knowledge of and appropriate handling of the demands of specific interest groups is essential for NORD/LB CBB and indispensable for corporate success combined with sustainability.
• Holism: ESG affects all areas of the bank and requires a holistic approach. It begins with business strategy and management and extends to the bank's customers and products, to its employees, business operations, and social commitment. NORD/LB CBB is viewed as a whole and attention is paid to interdependencies of departments and processes.
• Transparency: NORD/LB CBB aims to provide a transparent presentation of the positive and, where applicable, negative social impacts of the bank's business. This is achieved by following the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and the Sustainable Development Goals in the bank's reporting.

Many aspects of global change entail various opportunities and risks for the customers of NORD/LB CBB and thus have a major influence on business activities. It is therefore essential that NORD/LB CBB accompanies its customers on the way to a more sustainable business model. The employees of NORD/LB CBB see themselves as supporters of their customers in order to enable them to anchor their business activities more strongly in the context of "sustainable development".