Environmental Strategies by the Banking Sector: Case Studies in the Italian Context

by Fabio Iraldo, Michela Melis and Alessia Sabbatino

Up to today, researches and studies have been focused, from time to time, on the different financial tools through which a bank may affect the environment, with the aim of understanding the drivers and barriers that can influence their adoption and successful implementation.
The paper aims at providing a more in-depth analysis of the ways in which a bank sets up and implements these different available tools, when it comes to deciding the strategies and the objectives for the business channels on which it focuses. By means of a case-study methodological approach, the experiences of three Italian banks are analysed, with the ultimate goal of identifying a clear-cut framework of conditions that have to be ensured in order to guarantee the effectiveness of banks' environmental strategies.
Findings provide evidence that, in order to be effective, these strategies should rely on well-designed specific tools, that are able to guarantee the right balance between: i) the positive impact on the environment, ii) the attractiveness for the clients and iii) the financial and competitive feasibility for the bank.