Going green, using social media

Sustainability is integral to Standard Chartered. Worldwide and in Malaysia, the bank champions dedicated causes, one of them being environment. The organisation believes that each person can make a difference, and through small steps, the collection action contributes to the overall impact as the community unites to preserve the environment for future generations.

From the onset, the organisation is cognizant of getting it right in the home, before moving out to the neighbourhood. The strategy of embedding the environment consciousness among the staff was a key focus for us in growing green advocates. As such, their green agenda is woven into every level of the bank’s operations.

Over the last two years, Standard Chartered has run multiple activities and programmes focusing on self-awareness, reducing wastage and lowering carbon footprint under its umbrella theme, Go Green, Let’s Make a Difference. From cutting back on air travel to implementing shared-printer facility between departments, the results have been very heartening. The bank has seen as much as 50% reduction in air travel, 20% in paper consumption and 10% in electricity usage, and the introduction of e-statements with customers.

In addition to tackling the ‘hardware’, the environment team has started numerous staff-building exercises, including beach and mountain clean-ups to twice-yearly adopt-a-plant campaigns. Staff now tote recyclable bags for grocery shopping and own tupperware for takeouts, instead of relying on plastic bags and disposable food containers.

Recent projects include the Zoo Negara Lake Restoration Project using Mudballs which has proved to be successful with results showing after three months.

The CSR Digest was taken with the banks Greenfingers project, especially its attractive Treeville apps on Facebook. The CSR Digest asked the Malaysian office’s Head of Corporate Affairs, Norliza Kamaruddin, who has had 20 years’ experience in communications, about  Standard Chartered Bank (Malaysia) Berhad’s CSR within the sphere of social media.

CSRD: What made you decide to use Facebook for GreenFingers?

NK: Facebook, given its platform that allows for interactive discussion, was a natural choice. In the earlier years, our green heroes had started championing the environmental cause internally via Facebook.

In extending our green advocacy out to the community (Marketplace), Facebook’s social fun element allows us to take the awareness level a step up into an educational and appreciation level. The green tips and topics on the GreenFingers page is to connect people to share notes and trade ideas as they adopt a green lifestyle.

CSRD: What made you decide to have a Facebook App, GF Treeville?

NK: There are lots of educational, well-written articles on the environment. But without the right appreciation, it stays that way – data and facts. We wanted a way to make a connection through a fun easy-to-play game that will catch the wider audience attention and along the way, help them along in embracing the green lifestyle. As we’re undertaking to plant 11,000 trees across Malaysia, we got excited and decided why not let others do the same digitally. Thus GreenFingers’ Treeville was birthed, or shall I say ‘planted’. It’s a simple interactive game that will appeal across the young and old. GreenFingers’ Treeville is a small contribution that is just one way to engage and grow the green wave among Malaysians.

CSRD: Is GreenFingers linked to any another social medium (e.g. Twitter)?

NK: For now, it’s just on Facebook, but there’s always the possibility to take it onto other platforms. We’ll be reviewing the response to the (GreenFingers’) programme, it’s only been three months since inception, and will see what best suits people.

CSRD: GreenFingers Facebook page has (as at 30 July 2010) 368 likes. Is this a success to your mind?

NK: Helping to positively mould a mindset and culture – that’s success. It’s not going to happen overnight, nor in a matter of months. In Standard Chartered Bank, our internal awareness, education and appreciation programme ran for two years, and today the Bank lives a green culture – paper consumption down by 20%; 50% reduction in air travel and energy consumption by 10%, and we’re not stopping there. Higher targets are set for 2011. We’re already using recycled paper for our business cards, and sourcing to adopt recyclable paper in all our operations (imagine the scale!). So as much as our online awareness and appreciation is pulsing through, we’ve not let up on our internal programme and operations.

The results that will eventually come as we see more Malaysians taking up the green cause, and incorporating it into their lifestyles, will be ultimate reward. It’s heartening to see so many other corporates and organisations taking up the beacon in their own way. For example, who would have imagined ‘No Plastic Bag Day’ would fly in a bag-convenient community like KL? We’re confident that collectively the results will make a difference.

CSRD: More and more corporations are using social media in their community engagement programmes. What are your thoughts on this? What are Standard Chartered plans for this?

NK: Well, anything that furthers the cause positively is great. It’s important to keep up with the times, but we have to be mindful that the platform effectively serves the purpose, not dilute the outcome. Another thing, social media is not there for window dressing!

CSRD: Does Standard Chartered Malaysia have any other CSR programmes linked to social media?

NK: It’s with the environment programme for now. Our other programmes, Seeing is Believing (preventing curable blindness), Living with HIV/AIDS, Financial Literacy Programme, are being tackled on ground with face-to-face interaction given there’s a higher level of social sensitivity surrounding these causes. When we take it into the social media realm, we want to ensure it’s done with the best possible results and impact.