Exclusion List
NLB Group will not knowingly finance any of the following activities:
- The production of or trade in any product or activity deemed illegal under host country (i.e. national) laws or regulations, or international conventions and agreements, or subject to international phase out or bans, such as:
- Production of or trade in products containing PCB[1]s.
- Production of or trade in pharmaceuticals, pesticides/herbicides and other hazardous substances subject to international phaseouts or bans
- Production of or trade in ozone depleting substances.
- Production or use of or trade in persistent organic pollutants (POPs)[2].
- Trade in wildlife or production of or trade in wildlife products regulated under CITES[3].
- Transboundary movements of waste prohibited under public international law.
- Forced evictions[4].
- Thermal coal mining or coal-fired electricity generation capacity. NLB Group will not provide any new financing to thermal coal mining or coal-fired electricity generation capacity in any way, including eventual transitional enhancements.
- Upstream oil exploration[5].
- Upstream oil development projects (Except in rare and exceptional circumstances where the proceeds of the project exclusively target the reduction of GHG emissions or flaring from existing producing fields)[6].
- Activities involving force-feeding of ducks and geese.
- The keeping of animals for the primary purpose of fur production or any activities involving fur production.
- The manufacture, placing on the market and use of asbestos fibres, and of articles and mixtures containing these fibres added intentionally.
- The export of mercury and mercury compounds, and the manufacture, export and import of a large range of mercury-added products.
- Activities prohibited by host country legislation or international conventions relating to the protection of biodiversity resources or cultural heritage.
- Drift net fishing in the marine environment using nets in excess of 2.5 km in length.
- Shipment of oil or other hazardous substances in vessels which do not comply with IMO requirements.
- Trade in goods without required export or import licenses or other evidence of authorization of transit from the relevant countries of export, import and, if applicable, transit.
[1] PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) are a group of synthetic chemicals that have been widely used in industrial and commercial products such as refrigerants, insulating fluids and transformers. They are highly toxic to the environment and can persist for decades. They can cause damage to the immune, reproductive and nervous systems of animals and can also cause cancer in humans.
[2] Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are toxic chemicals that are resistant to degradation in the environment and can remain in the environment for a long time. The production, use and trade of POPs are strictly regulated by international agreements and national laws because of their harmful effects on human health and the environment.
[3] CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement between governments to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.
[4] Forced eviction” refers to the acts and/or omissions involving the coerced or permanent or temporary involuntary displacement of individuals, groups and communities from homes and/or lands and common property resources which they occupy or depend on, thus eliminating or limiting the ability of an individual, group or community to reside or or work in a particular dwelling, residence or location, without the provision of, and access to, appropriate forms of legal or other protection.
[5] Upstream oil exploration is the search for and discovery of new oil and gas reserves beneath the Earth's surface, usually in areas such as deepwater, remote or undeveloped areas. This process involves a combination of geological, geophysical and engineering techniques to find and assess the potential of oil and gas deposits.
[6] Upstream petroleum projects refer to the process of extracting and producing crude oil and natural gas from the earth's surface, usually in areas where exploration activities have discovered oil reserves.