Sberbank and VEB.RF have introduced an ESG index that maps cities and regions across Russia, designed to facilitate the sharing of best practices and tackle strategic development challenges through the lens of environmental, social, and governance responsibility. The announcement came from Sber’s press service, outlining the purpose and scope of the new index.
The organization explained that the index incorporates 16 sustainable development indicators and will be refreshed every year to reflect evolving conditions and outcomes.
At present, the ESG index covers 85 regions and 218 cities within the country, offering a broad view of how different locales perform against sustainability benchmarks and governance standards.
The study highlights the top-performing 20 regions and cities based on comprehensive scores across all three ESG pillars, as well as leaders within specific areas of achievement.
By the end of 2023, the leading regions included Belgorod, Voronezh, Kaliningrad, Kamchatka, Krasnodar, Leningrad, Moscow, and other regional players. In terms of urban centers, Anadyr, Veliky Novgorod, Irkutsk, Kazan, Krasnodar, and additional cities were cited among the top ranks for sustainable development practices.
Sberbank ESG Senior Vice President Tatyana Zavyalova remarked that cities and regions serve as hubs where state, business, and public sector efforts converge. She emphasized that a significant portion of dialogue surrounding joint action, investment, and sustainable development projects unfolds in these areas. It was noted that roughly three-quarters of the world’s regions and major cities are already engaging with businesses to implement ESG initiatives or are planning such collaborations in the near term, signaling a broad, ongoing commitment to sustainable growth.
The executive also noted that the ESG index will enable a rapid and objective assessment of how regions progress toward sustainable development goals, providing a clear gauge of impact and trajectory. She underscored Sber’s robust analytical capabilities and extensive expertise in this field, highlighting the bank’s active role in the ESG transformation across more than 60 constituent entities of the Russian Federation. Sber has developed its own ESG profile with individualized solutions for each region and has signed roadmaps for ESG and sustainable development with 35 regions. In 2023 alone, the bank reported the implementation of 70 projects in partnership with regional authorities.
Andrey Samokhin, General Director of VEB.RF, pointed to the importance of improving the well-being of Russian families, expanding opportunities in the social sphere, and tackling environmental challenges in cities as tasks that rely on the power of big data. He expressed confidence that this joint initiative with Sber will equip federal and regional authorities, as well as businesses and proactive citizens, with the means to monitor systemic changes in the country’s ESG landscape over time.