ComBank becomes Sri Lanka’s first carbon-neutral bank

One of many solar panel installations at Commercial Bank branches.

The Commercial Bank of Ceylon has become the first Sri Lankan bank to achieve carbon neutrality for the entirety of its operations, encompassing all 268 branches and its head office – a monumental milestone in the bank’s commitment to the environment.

Becoming a net-zero carbon company was one of Commercial Bank’s Green Goals, to be achieved by the close of its centenary year in 2020.

The bank’s carbon neutral status has been affirmed by Climate Smart Initiatives (Pvt) Ltd., which executed the quantification of the bank’s carbon footprint in accordance with the ISO 14064‐1‐2018 standard. A total of 13 emission sources covering both direct and indirect emission sources of the Bank were considered for this analysis. Additionally, the Sri Lanka Climate Fund operating under the Ministry of Environment performed an independent third-party verification in accordance with the ISO 14064-3-2018 guidelines and awarded the prestigious ISO 14064 certificate to the Bank.