Total amount to which the responsible investment policy is applied
Sustainability at Delen Private Bank
Our sustainability policy aims at creating a positive impact on all our relationships - clients, employees and society at large. We steer our policy on the basis of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Where do we realize the biggest leverage? And what results have we achieved so far?
OUR REALISATIONS
Sustainable banking in 2021
Delen Private Bank continued to work on its commitment to sustainable entrepreneurship this year. Despite the corona crisis, important steps were taken in the field of sustainability.
Responsible investing
Policy applied to all house funds
Our approach receives the highest UN PRI score (A+) for strategy and policy
Intensifying engagement, the phase in which we discuss with companies to help them along the sustainable path
Protecting assets
Consistent and solid returns during the pandemic 2020-2021
Complete overview of assets also available digitally, via Delen Family Services
Client support to be transparant about origin of wealth
Reducing our ecological impact
Lower average environmental impact of the funds compared with the reference index
Transfer to green electricity from 2022 onwards
Continued effort to convince clients of the advantage of digital instead of paper channels
Support for social projects
Continuing support to our partners in science, sports and culture
Extra support for medical needs
Our agile organisation
New .bank domain name for extra online security
Learning and Development platform leads to surge in trainings
Further digitalisation to complement personal service
INTERVIEW
2021 A year in sustainability

Eric Lechien and René Havaux of Delen Private Bank
Read the entire interview in our sustainability report
Rene Havaux: In turbulent times, clients crave a realistic but reassuring perspective so that they can face the temporary stress with confidence. The pandemic was therefore unintentionally a plea for discretionary wealth management. Our estate planning services also came into the limelight. People today want to be prepared for unexpected events. Our relationship managers are there for their clients when it matters most: at a wedding, a death, the transfer of a business.
Eric Lechien: The pandemic gave extra weight to the importance of our core mission, the protection of our clients' assets. In a time of extreme uncertainty, people look for something to hold on to. At such times, one question arises: who can I trust? Companies like Delen, which year after year have built a personal and lasting relationship with their customers, even across generations, have an edge. This is clearly visible in the inflow of capital. On top of that, customers gave us a very good satisfaction score.
René Havaux: René Havauw: I repeat it again and again: personal interaction, with customers or employees, gives energy. The bank is not an abstract entity, it is a collection of people. And it is the interaction that leads to a virtuous circle: happy employees create happy customers, and vice versa.
Eric Lechien: The bank reduces its CO2 emissions directly through various measures, such as the electrification of its fleet of vehicles. As from 2022, we use 100% green electricity in our own Belgian offices. It is important that we, as an organisation, measure CO2 and make efforts to reduce CO2 emissions. It's a matter of being consistent with what we impose on other companies as well. But the bank's biggest leverage is indirect, through investments in companies with low ESG risks and strong emissions reduction policies.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
Our four Sustainable Development Goals

Delen Private Bank underscores four SDGs in particular
Obviously, all seventeen objectives are important to us. But on four SDGs in particular, we can really make a substantial impact:
- decent work and economic growth
- peace, justice and strong institutions
- responsible consumption and production
- climate action
Delen Private Bank has a direct influence on the first two SDGs through its organisation. Think of our client-focused personal approach, our staff policy focused on cooperation and efficiency, our efforts in the field of energy-saving renovations, our strict anti-money laundering procedures. But it's on the last two SDGs that we can make the biggest difference. Here is why.
Sustainable investing for your entire portfolio, for every single client
Our core task is to protect your assets and to grow them in a balanced way. Through a cautious and vigilant investment philosophy, we - the bank and its fund manager Cadelam - do everything in our power to accomplish this mission.
On top of that, we bring sustainability into that investment process: our Responsible Asset Management. This is done in three steps:

René Havaux: "We assist customers by properly documenting their assets, via Delen Family Services. Once all the evidence has been gathered and the assets have been fully mapped out, the customer can put these assets to work with peace of mind."
- We enter into dialogue with companies on the road to sustainable entrepreneurship
- We integrate non-financial parameters into the decision-making process
- We exclude non-sustainable companies
Unlike other players, we apply this sustainability process to the totality of each portfolio, for all clients. It involves a total of more than 29,5 billion euros being invested in a sustainable manner. That is a considerable lever for pushing sustainability forwards.

Eric Lechien, CFO and responsible for sustainability Our constructive and discreet approach - sitting down with companies and starting a dialogue - does not make the headlines, but it is very effective.
KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR
Sustainability in facts & figures
More information about our sustainability policy?
Read our sustainability report (or non-financial report)