Assessment of the Impact of Commercial Banks’ Operating Activities on the Natural Environment by Use of Cluster Analysis

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to identify groups of banks with similar environmental commitment, taking into account their direct environmental impact. The study, which employs the aggregation method, reveals that small banks with a relatively worse financial standing are characterised by the lowest level of disclosures within pro-ecological initiatives. At the same time, large international banks belong to clusters defined by the highest or the lowest disclosure rates. The above-mentioned phenomenon results from the dichotomy of integrating environmental policy into their strategies and business models. This study is the first comparative analysis of the extent to which all listed (and at the same time the biggest) banks operating in Poland have taken initiatives to reduce the negative environmental impact of their activities.