CDB has successfully internalised sustainability within its organisational culture through various initiatives, such as incorporating sustainability goals and practices into its core business strategies and operations. This includes setting targets for reducing carbon emissions, promoting energy efficiency, and implementing sustainable financing practices. Moreover, CDB has established team member engagement programmes that foster awareness and education about sustainability. This includes spearheading the effort through sustainability champions, training sessions, workshops, and information campaigns that focused on topics such as environmental conservation, responsible lending practices, and social impact. Fostering a culture of sustainability within the organisation encourages team members to adopt sustainable practices both in the workplace and in their personal lives. Furthermore, CDB has actively collaborated with external stakeholders, including clients and partners, to promote sustainable development and expand the impact of its sustainability efforts beyond the organisation.

The four pillars of internalising sustainability

Educate all employees

on “Triple Bottom Line” and CDB Advance Strategy

Eliminate all forms of waste

Zero use of single use plastic

Zero waste

Sustainable Energy and Transport

Driven by 100% renewable energy (Green Branch concept)

Company fleet to be 100% EV or Hybrid

Employees walk the talk

Employee conversion to sustainable energy and transport

To instil greater green awareness among team members, CDB has taken several steps based on its four pillars of internalisation. Firstly, educating team members, on sustainable practices, the Triple Bottom Line (TBL), and the benefits of a green economy. Secondly, promoting waste reduction and responsible resource consumption and waste management systems. Thirdly, encouraging energy efficiency and sustainable transportation options. Lastly, making team members, walk the talk, and foster a culture of sustainability by encouraging them to adopt eco-friendly practices. By implementing these four pillars of internalisation, CDB has been successful in creating green awareness among team members, to advancing to a greener workplace and a sustainable future.

Internalising net-zero implementation and strategy among team members is crucial to foster a sense of ownership, accountability, and collective responsibility. It empowers team members to actively contribute towards carbon reduction goals, drive innovation, promote sustainable practices, and creates a culture of environmental consciousness within the Organisation. Illustrated above are the numerous initiatives implemented by CDB under the 4 internalisation pillars.

The Club educates its members to be more conscious of and find proactive solutions to current environmental issues, and ultimately create national interest in environmental challenges.

CDB Green Ambassadors

As the first step towards creating green ambassadors to champion green initiatives, the Company initiated the CDB G-Squared – Go Green Club in 2017, to educate and engage its team members, and connect people to nature. This was relaunched in 2020/21 as CDB Advance Green Club, which spearheads the CDB Advance internalisation strategy. The Club has successfully launched several campaigns including the CDB Advance Green Challenge, CDB Green family event, and the single-use plastic-free pledge. The Club educates its members to be more conscious of and find proactive solutions to current environmental issues, and ultimately create national interest in environmental challenges. The Club members, in their role as Green Ambassadors of CDB, educate their colleagues, family members and associates about championing green efforts.

CDB Advance Green Club has members who act as agents of change, with office bearers selected to ensure representation across all branches and divisions. A Branch Green Champion coordinates all green initiatives across the branch network, with yearly reviews to recognise the contributions made by Green Ambassadors.

Fostering awareness and engagement among team members

CDB strongly believes environmental literacy is crucial to tackling climate change and building resilient communities. Creating employee awareness about global environmental challenges, enables the team members to be educated on issues of concern, promotes action by creating awareness, and encourages them to be a part of the solution by understanding the problem.

A highlight of CDB’s sustainability agenda was the CDB Advance Green Challenge, a flagship initiative focusing on engaging CDB team members and building awareness on sustainability and triple bottom line. This event serves as a powerful demonstration of CDB’s dedication to environmental stewardship and the well-being of its team members.

Aligned with the theme “Engage Mindful Team Members,” the CDB Advance Green Challenge was a noteworthy initiative that placed a spotlight on the significance of both individual and collective actions shaping a sustainable future. The primary purpose was to cultivate environmental awareness among CDB team members, encouraging them to act as catalysts for positive change in their personal and professional lives.

CDB strongly believes environmental literacy is crucial to tackling climate change and building resilient communities.

This event showcases the Company’s unwavering commitment to environmental stewardship and social progress, highlighting the importance of sustainability within CDB and its workforce.

The CDB Advance Green Challenge took place, uniting over 400 team members from diverse branches and head office. These participants eagerly participated in thrilling competitions, including the Green Quiz, Green Debate, and Green Short Film screening. Following a spirited contest, four exceptional teams emerged as finalists, consisting of dedicated and knowledgeable individuals who excelled in the Quiz and Debate sections. Additionally, six outstanding short films were shortlisted and three teams were recognised as winners. The entire programme aimed to educate the team and raise awareness about sustainability, while also highlighting the CDB advanced strategy, CDB Advance Green Challenge, and the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) concept. The programmes were conducted in all three languages to encourage broad audience participation. Notably, among the 14 short films submitted, two were in Tamil, highlighting inclusivity. Additionally, a debate in Sinhala and Tamil languages further showcased the event’s diversity.

Furthermore, CDB prioritises aligning new recruits with its sustainability initiatives through an induction programme, fostering a culture of sustainability from the start. The comprehensive e-learning module on sustainability has been finalised to provide an in-depth understanding of sustainability, providing the basics of the CDB Advance Strategy, application to the work environment, and spurring innovation. The Company also organised a beach clean up programme in commemorating of the International Coastal Cleanup Day in September 2022.

CDB’s conservation wheel

GRI 306-2

The CDB Conservation Wheel is a comprehensive framework encompassing key concepts for sustainable practices. It emphasises the principles of 7R (Reduce, Repair, Reuse, Replace, Recycle, and Refuse/Reject). By reducing consumption and waste, repairing items instead of discarding them, reusing materials, replacing unsustainable products with eco-friendly alternatives, recycling resources, and refusing/rejecting single-use items, the wheel promotes a circular economy and minimises the environmental impact. The CDB Conservation Wheel serves as a guide to foster responsible choices, encouraging individuals and entire organisations to create a more sustainable future.