Green or Social Loans and Bonds

When opting for a green or social finance product, either loans or bonds, the aim is to use the funds for specific green or social projects or assets. 

	Positive impact   Using financial instruments like green or social loans and bonds makes the ambition to contribute to the environment or society visible for employees and also the outside world.
	Added transparency for your investments  Green or social loans and bonds provide investors and banks with transparency regarding the use of proceeds and the sustainability strategy and targets.
	Higher demand for green bonds   Green or social bondholders may benefit from increasing demand for environmentally and socially responsible bonds.

ING supports you in your investments that aim to have a positive impact on society and the planet. Our social or green loans and bonds are dedicated to helping you fund green or social projects under the Green / Social Loan Principles.  

Green or social loans fund ONLY green or social initiatives. To make sure whether the activities or projects qualify, banks and investors use criteria from the Green Loan Principles, Green Bond Principles, and international sustainable finance guidelines. Whenever feasible, we adhere to the EU Taxonomy, which serves as Europe's standard for classifying (dark) green undertakings. 

Green Loans and Bonds

Green loans and bonds are financial tools designed to finance sustainable projects that aim to benefit both our planet and society. These loans and bonds allocate their net proceeds to green initiatives using a clear and transparent allocation process.  

By choosing these loans or assets, you must allocate the funds to eligible green projects, such as:  

• Empowering renewable energy and enhancing energy efficiency: channel funds into renewable energy projects covering production, transmission, appliances, and products. Support initiatives in energy-efficient buildings, smart grids, and energy storage solutions. 
• Promoting sustainability and preserving natural resources: contribute to pollution prevention and control, including wastewater treatment, greenhouse gas control, recycling, and waste-to-energy projects. Fund sustainable management of living natural resources like agriculture, fishery, aquaculture, and forestry. 
• Driving clean transportation: Invest in electric, hybrid, public, rail, non-motorized, and multi-modal transportation. 
• Ensuring sustainable water management and fostering climate resilience: back infrastructure for clean drinking water, urban drainage systems, and flood mitigation. Support climate change adaptation through information support systems and early warning initiatives. 
• Promoting green buildings: finance green buildings meeting regional, national, or international sustainable regulations. 
• Developing products adapted for a circular economy: invest in the development of resource-efficient packaging, recycled materials, and sustainable distribution. 

Social Loans and Bonds

A social loan or bond is a financial instrument that aims to direct funds towards specific social projects or assets for specific target populations With this product, ING's aim is to enable you to invest towards projects that positively impact society and the quality of life. 

By choosing these loans and assets, you must allocate the funds to eligible social projects, such as:   

• Supporting basic Infrastructure: fund clean drinking water, sewers, sanitation, transport, energy, and basic telecommunications projects. 
• Providing access to essential services: support initiatives in education, vocational training, public health/healthcare, emergency response, and financing. 
• Funding affordable housing: contribute to affordable housing projects, ensuring equitable access to safe and suitable living conditions. 
• Improving employment generation: invest in programs designed to prevent or alleviate unemployment, including support for small and medium enterprises and microfinance. 
• Increasing food security: foster sustainable food systems, reduce food loss and waste, and improve small-scale agricultural productivity. 
• Participating in socioeconomic advancement: promote equitable access to assets, services, resources, opportunities, and reduce income inequality. 
• Being inclusive for target populations: reach those living below the poverty line, excluded or marginalised communities, people with disabilities, migrants, undereducated individuals, underserved populations, unemployed individuals, women, sexual and gender minorities, ageing populations, and other vulnerable groups affected by natural disasters.

Sustainable Loans and Bonds 

At ING, we understand that every business has unique needs when it comes to sustainability. That's why we offer tailor-made solutions that cater to your specific goals.  

With our sustainable loans and bonds, you can combine our social and green products to create a comprehensive strategy that aligns with your values and enhances your social and environmental impact.  

Whether you're looking to reduce your carbon footprint, promote social welfare, or achieve both, our sustainable financing options can be combined to fit your needs. 

Our green or social loans and bonds follow market-based principles, such as the LMA Green Loan Principles (GLP), and where applicable with regulatory standards like the EU Taxonomy. 

These principles guide what qualifies as green projects or assets, as well as how our clients should allocate the proceeds to these green projects and report on them. 

For clients who have more than one 'green' asset to finance, we can adviseand support them to set up a Green Finance Framework . Next to identifying the assets that qualify, the framework describes the overarching sustainability strategy. Structured as an umbrella framework, it allows our clients to put future debt instruments, bank financing, leasing and receivables finance that are governed by the same principles under the framework. 

Investors often seek an external view on the alignment of the Green Finance Framework with market principles, such as the Green Loan Principles or Green Bond Principles, as well as on whether the use of proceeds is aligned with these principles and/or market practices. As such, it is commonplace to appoint a Second Party Opinion for bond issuances. 

ING's green or social finance products allow companies to use their finance operations to fund projects and initiatives that aim to have a positive impact. Whether they’re passionate about environmental conservation or social impact, our suite of financial tools offers transparency, flexibility, and the power to contribute to making a difference.  

Reach out to our team of experts to discuss how we can help you finance your green or social projects.

Society is transitioning to a low-carbon economy. So are our clients, and so is ING. We finance a lot of sustainable activities, but we still finance more that’s not.  

See how we’re progressing on ing.com/climate