On 23rd March United Bulgarian Bank (UBB) and Grand Hotel Millennium Sofia switched off for 1 hour the lights in the Millennium Center complex, in order to give the planet 60 minutes as a symbol of commitment to Earth Hour - the worldwide environmental cause initiative of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The global campaign is conducted in March every year, and people from all over the world switch off the lights at the same time in a call for a sustainable and responsible future. The aim of the initiative is to draw public attention to climate change and the environmental issues our planet is facing.

This is also the message that UBB would like to pass on to everyone, because it is sustainability and environmental responsibility that the company’s corporate strategy is primarily focused on. “KBC is a leading financial group in the development and implementation of sustainable policies, and this position needs taking constant actions to maintain it. By the act of switching off the lights, we would like to remind once again that the efforts of each one of us, even the slightest ones, could result in further commitment and positive changes for the environment”, shared Peter Roebben, Chief Executive Officer of UBB and Country Manager of KBC Group in Bulgaria.

Over the last year, the bank implemented successfully a number of projects in the sphere of sustainable development, among them the ESG Academy for employees, partners and students in cooperation with the Faculty of Economics of Sofia University, as well as the UBB Agro Calculator, developed in cooperation with the Institute of Agrarian Economics.

Being one of the largest financial groups in Bulgaria, KBC works actively to reduce its negative and to increase its positive impact on the environment. In 2022, a decrease by 81 % was reported of the carbon emissions of KBC Group in Bulgaria compared to the baseline year 2015.