ABN AMRO in Brazil is the first company in the financial sector to obtain LIFE Certification, after a third party evaluation carried out by Tecpar, accredited certification body LIFE. The certification recognizes the institution’s commitment to biodiversity conservation.

In order to obtain certification, the Bank carried out a process of analysis of its impact on biodiversity and ecosystem services, according to the parameters established by LIFE Methodology and began to carry out voluntary actions for conservation.

As the main action linked to LIFE Certification, the bank is supporting a nature conservation project executed by the Cananéia Research Institute (IPEC) in the Lagamar / Serra do Mar region.

The project covers an area of ​​600 thousand hectares of natural area in the largest continuous remnant of Atlantic Forest in Brazil. The biome that contains one of the most biodiverse areas of the planet is also one of the most threatened, leaving very few actions that contribute to the maintenance of ecosystem services.

LIFE Certification is an innovative tool with international recognition. “LIFE Certification proposes the integration of natural capital conservation into business practices and is also an environmental management tool for companies,” explains Alice Alexandre, executive director of LIFE Institute. “It is expected that initiatives such as ABN-Amro Brazil will become a reference for the development of new projects,” he says.

Photo: Serra do Mar do Paraná (IPEC)

About ABN AMRO

ABN AMRO is one of the three largest banks in the Netherlands. His office in São Paulo works in the areas of energy, commodities and transportation (ECT), as well as clearing.