NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Scotiabank has joined Mastercard on the expansion of the Priceless Planet Coalition to generate climate change awareness and impact across four Caribbean countries: Jamaica, Barbados, The Bahamas and the Dominican Republic.
As part of the launch of this initiative, Scotiabank cardholders will be able to contribute to different forestation initiatives through online purchases made with their ScotiaCard. Until April 22, current and new bank cardholders in The Bahamas can contribute to planting a tree for every five online purchases of US$30 or more. The goal is to plant a total of 75,000 trees, based on purchases made in Jamaica, Barbados, The Bahamas and the Dominican Republic.
The global Priceless Planet Coalition unites the efforts of merchants, banks, cities and consumers to make meaningful investments to preserve the environment through the restoration of 100 million trees over five years, together with forestry experts from Conservation International and World Resources Institute.
Other participating members are Transport for London and American Airlines, among others around the world, all of which are investing in innovative ways to inspire collective actions to address climate change. In the Caribbean, a place where climate change further impacts the effects of devastating hurricanes, Scotiabank has pioneered several initiatives to reduce carbon emissions.
Anya Schnoor, executive vice president of Scotiabank in the Caribbean, Central America and Uruguay, said: “Scotiabank is guided by our purpose: ‘for every future’. We recognize that climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time, and through our Climate Commitments, we are dedicated to supporting actions that address this challenge through our banking operations.
“As a leading bank in the Americas, collaboration with other organizations is crucial for effective climate action. The Priceless Planet Coalition provides an opportunity for us to work alongside Mastercard to help make an impact and enables our customers in the Caribbean to be part of a very practical and tangible climate solution.”
Scotiabank Bahamas Managing Director Roger Archer shared: “In The Bahamas, we are very familiar with the impact that global warming has had on weather patterns in the Caribbean, and so, any initiative that can help to preserve our physical environment and mitigate the devastating impact of climate change is something that we are very happy to support.”
Marcelo Tangioni, president of the Caribbean division at Mastercard, said: “Mastercard is committed to protecting the environment in every continent where it operates, and here in the Caribbean, where the weather is sometimes extremely punishing, suffering from very destructive hurricanes, we truly believe in our efforts on restoring the rainforests and the landscapes is a key element in the fight against climate change.
“We are very glad to welcome Scotiabank joining the Priceless Planet Coalition, for this constant work against the clock and mostly to rebuild ecosystems with the help of all the partners of the Coalition.”
To learn more about Priceless Planet Coalition, visit www.PricelessPlanet.org or follow it on social media at #pricelessplanet.
To know more about Mastercard Corporate Social Responsibility’s Report and all its social and environmental efforts around the world, visit https://www.mastercard.us/content/dam/mccom/global/aboutus/Sustainability/mastercard-sustainability-report-2019.pdf.
