People’s Charter for RBS
Billboards around the country proudly announce the Royal Bank of Scotland’s 14 vague commitments to improve customer services. So, we have launched an alternative People’s Charter for RBS, outlining a green future for the Royal Bank of Scotland.
photo: Ric Lander
Our Charter proposes real changes that would turn the 83% publicly owned bank RBS into a Royal Bank of Sustainability.
We commit to withdrawing investment in companies and projects that damage the environment and destroy human rights
- We will withdraw current, and cease further, investment in projects and companies that destroy fragile and irreplaceable eco-systems, with immediate effect
- We will refuse to finance businesses or ventures that marginalise communities, fail to uphold human rights or have close links to oppressive regimes
- In particular, we will stop investing in companies exploiting unconventional sources of oil, such as the Canadian tar sands
- We will not fund the construction of any new coal fired power stations, nor companies involved in the mining and transportation of coal
We commit to minimising the climate change implications of our investments
- We will recognise the full implications of our operations on climate change, particularly the core business of financial services
- We will introduce a comprehensive policy for reducing the climate change impacts of our entire operations including a target for annual reductions and a strategy to achieve this
- We will calculate, publish and cap carbon emissions embedded in our investment portfolio and financial services
- We will prioritise investment in projects that actively contribute to the creation of climate jobs
We commit to becoming a Royal Bank of Sustainability
- We will replace the Oil and Gas Team with a Sustainable Energy Team, the majority of whose investments will be in renewable energy and energy conservation
- We will open up direct lending to communities to micro-finance the transition to a low-carbon society with projects such as de-centralised energy and insulation
- We will prioritise lending to low-carbon companies, technologies and infrastructure
- We will enable and respect public participation in investment decisions
- We will seek to repay our climate debt to the worst affected people and environments
- We will transform RBS into a precedent setting Green Investment Bank
Find out more
Read our new report detailing why the Royal Bank of Scotland should be transformed into a Green Investment Bank. Make it Happen: From Oyal Bank of Scotland to Royal Bank of Sustainability.
Read ‘Cashing in on Tar Sands – RBS, UK Banks and Canada’s ‘Blood Oil’.
Read Friends of the Earth Europe’s report Tarsands: Fuelling the climate crisis.
What you can do
Email RBS Chief Executive today to demand he takes taxpayers money out of tarsands!
Switch to a more ethical bank, and write to RBS to tell them why.