CABEI achieves LEED Gold certification for its Representative Office in El Salvador, reaffirming its commitment to environmental responsibility
San Salvador, July 2023. - The Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) obtained LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certification in Operation and Maintenance (O+M) for its Representative Office building in El Salvador.
This international certification is one of the most recognized for sustainable buildings, granted by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), thus reiterating the commitment to continue being the Green Bank of the region, through the adoption of international standards in the bank's internal operation, framed in its Corporate Environmental and Social Responsibility System (SASC).
To achieve this LEED certification, the CABEI office in El Salvador complied with Pre-requisites and Credits in the categories of Transportation, Sustainable Site, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, Indoor Air Quality and Innovation. In accordance with the scores achieved in these categories, this CABEI office was certified in LEED Gold level, an achievement that allows reducing the environmental impact of the building, making it more efficient.
It is worth noting that these CABEI facilities have become the first project in El Salvador to obtain LEED Certification in its 4.1 version, thus demonstrating the leadership and vision to achieve the goals in terms of sustainability and resource efficiency.
The facility stands out for implementing good environmental practices such as generating renewable energy, having a waste separation system, composting organic waste, and carrying out reforestation activities with employees and families to offset the environmental impact of paper consumption.
Some of the achievements obtained between 2020 and 2023 are the compensation of 288 tons of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, the generation of 168 megawatts (MW) of clean energy, the planting of 1,000 trees together with its CABEI Volunteers and the saving of 16,954 kWh of electricity. In addition, from 2021 to 2023, 4.4 tons of waste generated by the operation of the building and by the internal "Recycling Monday" initiative carried out with employees and their families have been recycled. We have also trained 154 people in environmental issues.
In this way, CABEI continues working to meet the needs of protecting the environment and combating climate change, fulfilling its 2020-2024 Institutional Strategy, as well as its 2020-2024 Environmental and Social Strategy for the same period. In this effort, it makes it possible for its buildings to be environmentally responsible spaces, a key factor in continuing to strengthen and expand its Environmental Management System (EMS).
The LEED certification is in addition to the ISO 14001:2015 in Environmental Management, which applies to the operations and administrative activities of the CABEI office in El Salvador and its headquarters in Honduras.
