Waste Management

Ziraat Bank aims to effectively manage waste management in order to contribute to the sustainability of natural capital, adopt eco-friendly practices, and create a sustainable business model. In line with the zero waste target, the Bank has determined its road map prioritizing training and reporting activities in line with the principles of reducing waste from its operations at source, activating recycling processes, and adhering to sustainability principles in waste management. The Bank creates a responsible corporate identity by demonstrating an environmentally sensitive approach through its endeavors to minimize environmental impacts.
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Ziraat Bank’s roadmap in line with its zero waste target consists of the following steps:

• Waste Reduction:
  ‍As part of waste reduction strategies, eco-friendly and reusable materials are preferred over plastic and disposable products. Instead of using pet and glass bottled water, drinking water requirements are met with a water purification system. Instead of disposable cardboard cups, durable and reusable beverage containers are preferred. The implemented applications aim to protect natural resources and reduce the amount of waste.

• Recycling:
  Clearly separated bins for different types of waste have been placed in the offices to ensure that waste is separated at source.

• Employee Training:
  In order to create waste management and environmental awareness throughout the Bank and to provide employees with conscious habits to reduce waste production, training programs are organized on energy saving, water use, and waste production reduction.

• Supply Chain:
  As part of responsible procurement principles, priority is given to the procurement of eco-friendly products.

• Reporting:
  The registration to the Zero Waste System, which provides an infrastructure for the management and reporting of waste sorting, monitoring and recycling processes, enables the Bank to continuously monitor its waste management performance and regularly report on sustainability targets.

Ziraat Bank is taking decisive steps to reduce its environmental impact and achieve its zero waste target.
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Physical waste areas have been established for effective waste management at the Bank and investments include 4 waste press machines.

In line with the Zero Waste Regulation, Ziraat Bank, with its environmentally sensitive approach, carries out comprehensive and qualified studies to separate and recycle the waste generated as a result of its activities.

Zero Waste Management

In accordance with the “Zero Waste Regulation” dated 12.07.2019, all service buildings at Ziraat Bank throughout the country were defined as separate “Facilities” in the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change’s Integrated Environmental Information System. “Facility Information Forms” containing information pertaining to the Bank’s service buildings and designated facility managers were submitted to the relevant Provincial Environmental Directorates.
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Within this scope, “Zero Waste Certificates” were applied for a total of 1,820 service buildings defined as “Facilities” in the system nationwide, and “Certificates” were obtained for 1,508 service buildings in 81 provinces. The certificate applications for the remaining 312 service buildings will reportedly be approved by the relevant Provincial Environmental Directorates upon completion of the additional criteria requested.
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Uniform waste bins required for the zero waste application have been procured and sent to all units and branches in accordance with their floor numbers and usage areas. With this practice, a total of 368 tons of recyclable waste has been delivered and entered the system through the units and branches during 2024.
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The training presentation on “Zero Waste” prepared by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change was assigned to relevant personnel through the Bank’s training portal, ensuring completion within the specified timeframe.

Paper savings through recycling

The consumption of A4 photocopy paper by all units and branches of Ziraat Bank amounted to 171,000 packs in 2024, representing a decrease of 42,000 packs (19.72%) compared to the previous year. All paper procured during the year was produced from 100% recycled material.
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Ziraat Bank’s consumption of A4 paper by year is shown in the table.

Ziraat Bank performs the sales of expired documents and waste paper stored in unit and branch archives to authorized recycling companies for recycling. Approximately 1,046 tons of waste paper were recycled in 2024 as part of this process.
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As a result of the digital transformation endeavors undertaken by Ziraat Bank, the physical sending of documents and reports prepared by the Inspection Board from Bank units and document archiving has been discontinued. The transfer of audit and investigation reports to the system, along with the implementation of e-signatures and virtual archiving, resulted in a saving of 32,000 sheets of A4.
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As part of Branch Operations, arrangements have been made to prevent unnecessary use of paper by ensuring that documents are electronically signed in account opening transactions. In this context, between December 13, 2023 and December 31, 2024, a total of 729,535 account opening transactions were carried out digitally, 230,115 of which were via mobile approval and 499,420 via SMS approval. Considering that an average of 15 pages of paper is consumed in the real customer authentication process, a total of 7,946,505 sheets of paper were saved between December 13, 2023 and December 31, 2024, including 3,451,725 sheets of paper by completing the real customer authentication process with mobile confirmation and 4,494,780 sheets of paper by completing the process with SMS confirmation.

Throughout the year, approximately 333,000 letters were sent via the Correspondence application with digital signatures and Registered Electronic Mail, preventing the consumption of approximately 1.7 million pages.

Other Waste

Faulty IT equipment found in Ziraat Bank’s units and branches is collected at the Bank’s service centers and repaired and refurbished for reuse.
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Waste IT materials, such as system cabinets, air conditioners, batteries, and scrap ATM machines, are sold to companies licensed by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change for transportation and processing. This prevents environmental damage caused by waste and ensures their recycling as raw materials. Approximately 42 tons of waste were recycled in 2024 as part of this process.
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In the design of the Istanbul Finance Center Ziraat Towers, waste collection areas and solid waste temporary storage areas were integrated for the separate collection of recyclable solid waste. Construction waste was monitored throughout the construction activities and sent to recycling facilities on a monthly basis.
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In 2024, the consumption of 1,665,000 sheets of paper, approximately 1.7 million paper, for 333,000 letters was prevented.

Management of Electronic Waste

Waste electronic devices and equipment from Ziraat Bank units and branches are collected in the Bank’s warehouses allocated for waste management and sold as electronic scrap. This prevents electronic waste from harming the environment and enables it to be reused as raw material through recycling. Approximately 28 tons of electronic waste were recycled in 2024 as part of this process.

Activities in 2024 under the Sustainability Policy

• Servers used in Ziraat Bank for 11 years were replaced with new models with high energy efficiency. Energy waste has been reduced thanks to the flexible power supply options of the new servers, which comply with 80-PLUS Titanium 100-240 Volt and ENERGY STAR energy efficiency standards.

• The Bank’s printers at the Head Office and branches reduce environmental impact by using recycled paper and save 40% energy with the toner saving mode.

• End-of-life batteries and used generator engine oil are collected by the maintenance company and delivered to licensed facilities for disposal in compliance with environmental legislation. Companies have the necessary licenses for the collection and disposal of waste and operations are carried out in accordance with legal regulations.

• The screen lights of the desktop phones used at the Bank are turned off between 18:00 and 07:30 by activating the Power Save Mode, thus saving energy.

• At the Bank, the battery life of wireless keyboards is optimized by adjusting the intensity of automatic backlighting sensors and preset when they are turned on, or by disabling the backlighting entirely in well-lit environments. As the keyboards are rechargeable, additional battery costs and battery waste processes, which have an impact on the environment, are eliminated. The plastic components of the mice are made from certified post-consumer recycled plastics, giving end-of-life materials from discarded consumer electronics a second life and contributing to the reduction of the carbon footprint.

• Notebook devices used in Head Office units and Mini PC devices used in branches have low power consumption and are optimized to extend battery life.

• The monitors used in the Head Office units have low power consumption and are EPEAT Gold- and Energy Star-certified eco-friendly products. Smart Power technology saves energy by automatically managing brightness levels and energy consumption. They reduce energy consumption by activating sleep mode when the screen is not in use. The monitor can charge other devices by providing power via USB-C. This enables both energy and data transfer via a single cable while ensuring energy efficiency without the need for additional power adapters.

• By determining product life cycles according to actual requirements, it is possible to extend them beyond the legally defined economic lifespan, thereby reducing cost components. Products that have been decommissioned are sold via public auction, which both creates economic value and ensures the proper disposal of waste in line with sustainability principles.
  

Waste generated at Ziraat Bank Head Office units and branches is sorted by type. In order to manage waste types properly, the waste generated is separated into different categories such as packaging waste, non-recyclable waste, medical waste, and hazardous waste, and processed regularly. The Bank has appropriate temporary storage areas for each type of waste. In this way, a meticulous work is carried out to ensure environmental sustainability and to manage waste in the most efficient way.