Since 2001, Banrisul has the Reciclar (Recycling) Program, aimed at encouraging and fostering environmentally friendly waste collection and recycling at the Institution, in line with the environmental legislation in force.

Recyclable waste (unserviceable paper, metals, plastics, glass, among others) are treated differently, according to their classification. Paper and cardboard are sent to recycling through partners that receive this material and properly dispose it. In 2021, 206.6 tons were sent to partners.

Metals are sent to a specialized partner in the steelmaking industry for subsequent recycling. In 2021, 114.1 tons of metal scraps were sent for recycling. For the institution’s unserviceable safes, Banrisul seeks to donate them to be reused. When this is not possible, they are sent for decharacterization, so that they can be recycled or the materials resulting from this process can be reused. In 2021, 16 units of safes were sent for proper disposal (donation or recycling), totaling 10.4 tons of these items.

With regard to plastic waste, Banrisul has been implementing the Copinho Zero Project to replace the plastic cups used by employees with mugs and squeezes, which will result in a significant reduction in the generation of this type of waste in the organization’s premises. Banrisul estimates that by the end of 2022 disposable cups will no longer be used, leading to a decrease in plastic waste generation.

Banrisul is concerned about the disposal of acrylic waste, which is sent to a partner that uses it as raw material, allowing its reinsertion in the production chain. As for electronic waste, the volume generated by the branch network and units is properly disposed of through the Sustentare/RS Program which, in turn, uses three destination options: donation, reconditioning and recycling. Accordingly, in 2021 alone, through this program, Banrisul directed 93.4 tons of electronic equipment to proper disposal.

Seeking to promote the reuse of unserviceable furniture, the Bank donates these items to non-profit institutions that want to reuse them. In 2021 alone, 4,999 furniture units were donated to charitable institutions such as schools, APAEs, and the Military Police. In turn, the furniture that cannot be donated is sent to institutions that dismantle and reuse the material for other purposes, such as, for example, Banrisul’s partnership with the State Penitentiary of Canoas in which the inmates transform the furniture into houses for animals, which are then installed in public places across the city.

Banrisul also properly disposes of fluorescent lamps by directing these components to a company hired for this purpose. As regards fabric and canvas scraps, the Bank has partnerships for their proper disposal, through co-processing, in which waste will be used as fuel for the cement industry’s furnaces.

The organic waste generated by the organization are directed for public collection in the cities where the branches and units are located. A company has been hired for the disposal of organic waste at the administrative headquarters building.

In terms of procurement, in 2021, Banrisul added sustainability standards in the purchasing and bidding criteria, in order to use them as conditions for purchases that are increasingly in line with social, environmental and climate matters.

The waste generated by the organization is managed centrally by Banrisul, through the Sustainability Corporate Department, which is responsible for receiving, sorting and disposing of waste in an environmentally correct way, relying on duly accredited partners for each class of waste.

All waste directed to the Bank’s waste management are qualitatively and quantitatively measured through control spreadsheets, and later, according to the type of waste are directed to the proper disposal. Therefore, waste disposal is monitored by issuing the Waste Transport Manifest (MTR in Portuguese) and the Waste Final Disposal Certificate (CDF in Portuguese).

Energy consumption within the organization(GJ)²

¹There was an increase in diesel consumption due to the instabilities in energy supply from the distribution network. Additionally, the collection process gathered data that had not been accounted for in the previous cycle, such as energy consumption in leased venues.

²In the Inventory of GHG emissions, an additional 20 liters of diesel oil and 38,545 kWh of electricity consumed were reported, and the values presented in the table, for the year 2021, have been corrected.

Note: Only the Brazil GHG Protocol Program methodology was used.
Source for data conversion factors: 2021 National energy balance (reference year 2020). Available at: https://www.epe.gov.br/sites-pt/publicacoes-dados-abertos/publicacoes/PublicacoesArquivos/publicacao-601/topico-596/BEN2021.pdf