APS Bank presents the third edition of the Malta Sustainability Forum
Sustainability is at the heart of APS Bank’s values - it underpins its business strategy and is a central pillar of its Corporate Social Responsibility program.
This is the inspiring value of the Malta Sustainability Forum – an event organized by APS Bank plc to raise awareness on the subject of sustainability, with the aim of empowering citizens to make informed decisions towards more sustainable living.
The role of APS Bank is enhanced by the fact that sustainability and Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) are becoming increasingly interchangeable. This was explained by APS Bank Chief Executive Marcel Cassar, who in his welcome address for this year’s edition of the Malta Sustainability Forum, defined sustainability as “Meeting today’s needs. without threatening the future ”.
“Banks are at the heart of business decisions – and such decisions should not lead to environmental degradation,” he added, referring to the three Ps: people, the planet and prosperity. . The CEO also referred to another ‘P’: peace, where resources are used for wealth and not for war.
Now in its third year, the 2022 edition of the Malta Sustainability Forum, with the theme ‘Sustain Tomorrow Today’ opened on 7 April with an online session open to the public. This event, entitled ‘Level Up for Carbon Neutrality’, brought together a number of distinguished guests, who gave various talks on the subject.
Guests were President George Vella, who emphasized how the pursuit of sustainability is one of survival and a secure future; British High Commissioner for Malta Katherine Ward LVO OBE, focusing on COP26, hosted by the United Kingdom; Prof. Charles Galdies, who gave an insight into how climate change is impacting Malta; and Prof. Simone Borg, Ambassador for Climate Action, who elaborated on what Malta is doing to achieve its goals.
The talks were followed by a panel discussion on what businesses are doing to combat climate change and how they are overcoming obstacles. In the discussion were: Architect David Xuereb, former president of the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry; Ing. Mario Schembri, founder of AIS Group; Giovanni Bartolotta, Chief Risk Officer and member of the ESG Committee at APS Bank plc; Gonca Kara Demir, who works with EIT Climate and KIC Hub Malta; and Suzanne D’Amato Gautam, president of SEAM and founder and CEO of Eco Market Malta. The last part of the Forum included three short presentations on how we can all make more sustainable decisions in everyday life such as fashion and food.
During the panel discussion, several issues were highlighted. Architect Xuereb said that all citizens have a role to play in the fight against climate change and that, “Despite the size of Malta, the country can turn its challenges into opportunities. This was emphasized by Ing. Schembri, who said that since the biggest influence for businesses is customers, they also play an important role in the search for sustainability. APS Bank Chief Risk Officer Bartolotta commented on how an ESG strategy is critical to business, while D’Amato Gautam emphasized the need for stakeholders to work together to bridge the gap between what is needed and what is needed. what is currently being done in the fields of education, innovation. and new products.
In conclusion, Liana DeBattista, Chief Strategy Officer at APS Bank plc, said it was important for everyone to work together – and that if everyone made every moment count, then actions would be productive in the pursuit of sustainability.
For more information visit https://maltasustainabilityforum.com/.
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