Our stakeholders' perception of our CSR commitment
In 2021, as part of its materiality study, BNP Paribas Real Estate invited more than 10,500 internal and economic partners, market regulators and societal influencers to participate in a major online consultation. BNP Paribas Real Estate’s goal was to prioritise the sustainable development issues on which its stakeholders expect it to focus, both in its operations and its service offerings. Consequently, stakeholders expressed their views on the sustainable development issues that should be considered in BNP Paribas Real Estate’s operations and services. This European survey yielded valuable insights, particularly in terms of stakeholders’ perception of BNP Paribas Real Estate’s level of social responsibility.
The survey aimed to prioritise 22 key issues based on the importance assigned by each stakeholder. While some of these issues confirmed the CSR strategy implemented by BNP Paribas Real Estate over the past few years, others were revealed or reinforced by the Covid-19 health crisis. Stakeholders prioritised issues such as reducing carbon emissions, resilience and adaptability, energy efficiency and energy ‘sobriety’, well-being, health and safety within buildings, as well as the circular economy and air quality. All of these issues aim for the responsible usage of real estate.
The prioritisation of issues and the numerous comments received helped shape BNP Paribas Real Estate’s new policy and vision, and its 12 CSR commitments for 2025.
Materiality matrix
It is our responsibility to identify and understand the social, economic and environmental impacts specific to our sector, and to detect opportunities for building a more sustainable, resilient, and inclusive city.
Identifying impacts and risks in order to better anticipate them
It is our responsibility to identify and understand the social, economic and environmental impacts specific to our sector, and to detect opportunities for building a more sustainable, resilient, and inclusive city.
CSR Management
A department in charge of CSR
Created in 2016, this department, which reports to the General Management, is headed by Catherine Papillon and consists of a team of 3 people. Its role is transversal and involves all the company’s businesses and activities.
A unique feature of our company, this department also relies on a network of 47 representatives of our countries and businesses: the CSR Leaders, located in more than 10 countries.
Missions and responsibilities
- Define BNP Paribas Real Estate’s CSR policy and ensure its deployment in all our businesses, functions and territories.
- Measuring the performance of this strategy and reporting on it.
- Supporting teams in integrating CSR issues into their activities. Raise their awareness and provide training on these issues.
- Monitor developments in sustainable development and CSR.
- Promote our initiatives internally and externally
- Representing the company in the various bodies of the real estate ecosystem.
- Manage the company’s sponsorship activities.
Our project is based on clear commitments to anticipate the way we design, build and live in office and residential buildings, to take part in the economic and social life of the cities where we operate, to develop the skills of our employees, to support disability, to encourage diversity while respecting the environment.
Preventive risk management
Risk Management
Against a backdrop of increasingly complex regulatory requirements and tighter controls, the BNP Paribas Group has centralized the risk function. In November 2015, BNP Paribas Real Estate’s Risk Department, “RISK RE”, was created and covers the company’s 6 business lines and 13 countries. Totally independent of the business lines, it is organized around four dedicated teams :
- Real estate development (office and residential real estate in France and abroad): supporting the development of the business within the current fiscal, regulatory and legislative framework, in line with the Group’s risk policy and compliance with financial performance criteria
- Investment Management: supporting the development of the business when launching new investment funds, selecting and allocating assets, and analyzing the risks for the various real estate funds under management in conjunction with local AIFM risk managers
- Operational Risk covering the six business lines: analyzing and challenging the effectiveness and quality of the permanent control system, in particular through supervisory missions and providing independent reports and alerts on critical points of attention
- Data Protection: monitoring compliance with the RGPD with regard to the regulations in force and the rules defined by the BNP Paribas Group, informing and advising the teams that process data on the obligations incumbent upon them, providing advice on request concerning the data protection impact analysis and verifying its execution, acting as a point of contact for the supervisory authority in France on issues relating to processing.
Risk RE
Risk RE is the Group’s second line of defense for risk management activities under its direct responsibility: financial risks, market risks, operational risks, and data protection risks.
In this capacity, RISK RE is integrated into the governance of BNP Paribas Real Estate and is a member of the business decision-making committees. The Chief Risk Officer (CRO) is a member of the International Executive Committee, the Central Functions Committee and the Internal Control Committee.
Risk monitoring (anticipation, assessment, alerts, follow-up of action plans defined by the business lines) is ensured through the production of quarterly and annual reviews for the management of BNP Paribas Real Estate and the BNP Paribas Group.