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April 19, 2017Berkshire Bank Achieves Sustainability Milestone – Paper Usage Drops 15%
As the country celebrates Earth Day on April 22, Berkshire Bank, America’s Most Exciting Bank®, is excited to announce that they have exceeded the first of their sustainability objectives through AMEB Green, a corporate initiative to become a more environmentally sustainable company. The company, committed to reducing paper consumption by 10% by 2018, surpassed that mark reducing usage by 15% a full year earlier than projected.
AMEB Green is focused on results that will impact Berkshire’s social, environmental and financial performance by engaging employees and customers in environmentally conscious behaviors. The Bank has completed more than thirty green initiatives since the launch of the effort in 2015, including the standardization of double-sided printing and the elimination of disposable paper products in offices. The company also implemented energy-saving enhancements, recycling and environmental standards all of which contributed to 32% of office products coming from recycled sources as well as 228,000 pounds of paper being recycled annually. In addition, eStatement usage by customers increased 21% since 2015 as more customers chose more secure and environmentally conscious ways of conducting their business.
The AMEB Green initiative was originally spurred by employee suggestions and was developed by a cross-functional committee that looked at policies, products, operations and behaviors to identify goals and key steps to become a more environmentally sustainable company.
“We believe by embedding a culture of responsibility into our business model, we can drive positive change for our communities,” stated Gary Levante, Assistant Vice President for Community Engagement. “Our commitment to environmental sustainability builds on our history of philanthropy and employee engagement. The results thus far speak to our strategic approach to sustainability, focusing only on those initiatives that improve efficiency, reduce expenses and enhance our environmental impact.”
Additional information about the company’s sustainability commitment, including ways customers can leverage bank products and services to become more environmentally conscious, can be found at www.berkshirebank.com/sustainability
