Raben Links Supplier Financing to ESG Goals in Partnership with BNP Paribas Faktoring
The supplier financing program of Raben Logistics Polska, which supports carriers in maintaining financial liquidity, has been linked this year to the implementation of goals within the company’s ESG strategy. This is another sustainable finance solution successfully implemented within the Group’s companies, combining a responsible approach with real support for partners in the supply chain.
Since 2021, the Raben Group has based its strategic bank financing on ESG indicators, and is now extending this approach with a new factoring solution – the supplier financing program. This transaction is entirely based on objectives relating to sustainable development management among suppliers, requiring an individual approach from all parties involved.
Under the agreement between BNP Paribas Faktoring and Raben Logistics Polska, three goals have been established to support the Raben Group’s Sustainable Development Strategy:
All targets set for 2024 have been achieved and confirmed by an independent external audit. This is evidence of the high level of awareness and responsibility of the Raben Group and its partners.
The supplier financing program is a service that supports small and medium-sized enterprises in maintaining financial liquidity. Thanks to prompt payment for issued invoices, subcontractors do not have to wait long for a transfer from a contractor and can safely develop their business. This is a major benefit for small transport companies working with large operators.
In addition, all Raben Logistics Polska suppliers can count on tangible support in the area of sustainable development. To facilitate measurement and reporting, Raben Logistics Polska has provided its carriers with an intuitive tool that enables them to calculate emissions on their own, while allowing the company to systematically monitor their progress in this area. This solution was provided by the technology startup Envirly.
“Cooperation with the Raben Group was the impetus for creating a dedicated module for the transport industry on our platform. We made sure the tool met the needs of micro and small suppliers operating in the TSL sector – both in terms of the logic of emissions calculations and the intuitive interface and visual layer. Thanks to this, companies in the supply chain can quickly understand what really impacts their carbon footprint, while Raben gains insight into the environmental impact of its suppliers,” says Mateusz Masiak, CEO of Envirly.
“More and more responsible companies, such as the Raben Group, require their suppliers to provide carbon footprint data – this is no longer just a matter of goodwill, but a real competitive advantage. For many SMEs, this is a new and often difficult challenge. That is why calculating emissions is becoming one of the foundations of cooperation in the supply chain. Without it, it is hard to talk about transparency, responsibility, or maintaining contracts with the biggest players,” adds Weronika Czaplewska, Vice President of Envirly.
Incorporating ESG goals into the supplier financing program is one of the steps towards achieving the Raben Group’s ambitious decarbonisation objectives. The company has committed to reducing Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 60.4% by 2032 and to engaging 79% of its carriers in decarbonisation efforts by 2027, using 2020 results as the baseline.
“In this project, everything comes together as a coherent whole and drives each other forward. Factoring protects our suppliers – mainly micro and small businesses – from payment bottlenecks, ensuring financial stability and uninterrupted operations. Carriers receive from us, free of charge, a carbon footprint calculation tool and substantive support – in this way, we invite them to set their own reduction targets and to fight global warming. In turn, their engagement in pro-environmental activities will bring us closer to implementing our sustainable development strategy and allow us to meet the conditions of the factoring arrangement. Through our cooperation with BNP Paribas, we help our suppliers achieve sustainability goals while strengthening the resilience of the entire supply chain. Everyone benefits,” says Ewelina Jabłońska-Gryżenia, Director of Sustainable Development at the Raben Group.
It is worth noting that in 2021, the Raben Group obtained a Sustainability Linked Loan (SLL) of EUR 225 million, coordinated by seven banks. It was one of the first syndicated SLL loans in the European logistics sector and the first transaction in Poland based on the borrower’s strategic ESG goals. In 2024, this amount was increased by EUR 100 million. BNP Paribas Bank then acted as Sustainability Coordinator, and this subsequent sustainable finance initiative with BNP Paribas Faktoring continues the close cooperation between BNP Paribas Group in Poland and the Raben Group in this area.
“It is a pleasure to implement another ESG-linked financial solution with Raben, following the sustainable loan. This time, the indicators focused entirely on the supply chain, which clearly distinguishes this transaction. Obtaining reliable emissions data from micro and small transport companies is a real challenge, but also a key step in the industry’s transformation,” says Jadwiga Pisarska, Senior ESG and Sustainable Finance Expert at BNP Paribas Bank.
“This is a breakthrough implementation for us – not only because of the scale, but above all because of the approach. We developed a solution fully tailored to the needs of the client and their partners. The use of measurable ESG indicators, jointly defined by the project team, has made it possible to effectively influence carriers’ actions and engage them in the transformation process,” adds Agnieszka Fieback, Member of the Management Board for Sales at BNP Paribas Faktoring.
(WBJ)
