Better Health for All

The company's core financial services products have no significant direct positive or negative health impact, and it does not generate revenue from products with direct health impacts. It does not offer health-related products or services requiring price accessibility, risk transparency, or addiction mitigation. The company does not conduct clinical trials or hold healthcare-related patents, nor does it produce food or nutritional products. There is no evidence of significant health externalities from its operations. The company's financial inclusion initiatives, while beneficial, do not directly address health needs for vulnerable populations, making the 'vulnerable_reach' KPI not applicable. For healthcare workforce support, 64,000 employees participated in local BeHealthy initiatives in 2024, and 282 employees took parental leave in 2024, with 96-98% retention after 12 months.

The company has local and global health and well-being and occupational risk prevention teams. Regarding preventative health measures, occupational risk plans are revised, covering safe working conditions, emergency blueprints, and postural hygiene. Regular check-ups and tests are offered after extended absences. For healthcare data responsibility, Santander has a program to respond to customer data complaints related to privacy breaches and did not experience a material data breach in 2024, though it was impacted by a breach at Banco Santander where customer data was not subject. In mental health initiatives, the company offers support for physical and mental well-being through BeHealthy initiatives and access to various health and well-being programs. For healthcare education, Santander supports universities with initiatives including study grants, scholarships, and lifelong learning for job skills. It also promotes financial literacy initiatives for unbanked, underbanked, or underserved customers. In health equity programs, Santander runs microfinance programs supporting 1.6 million micro-entrepreneurs in 2022, 70% of whom were women, and aims to financially include 5 million people between 2023 and 2025, having reached 4.3 million since 2023.

Fair Money & Economic Opportunity

Santander financially included 1.8 million people in 2023, representing approximately 1.08% of its 166 million customers across the US, Europe, and Latin America.

The company was part of a $550 million settlement for alleged violations of consumer protection laws related to subprime auto loans, including deceptive servicing practices and underestimation of loan risk. Santander US committed $100 million to charitable giving over three years, with annual contributions of $13.5 million from Santander US and $20 million from Santander Consumer USA Foundation. The company offers financial education programs for various demographics, including a Cultivate Small Business program that provides training, mentorship, and coaching, reaching 20% of customers with documented outcomes. Santander aims to expand access to banking systems for underbanked groups and underserved geographic areas, with approximately 20% of its service points located in such areas. The company is fully PSD2/open-banking compliant, offering APIs with no access charges.

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

Santander has eliminated its gender pay gap for employees globally performing the same job, achieving this target two years ahead of its 2025 goal.

The overall gender pay gap, however, remains close to 30%. Employee surveys showed a 10 percentage point increase in commitment since a 2014 cultural transformation. In 2021, the company was ranked 24th in the world's top 25 Best Workplaces™ by Great Place to Work.

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing

Santander Auto includes specific clauses on legal compliance and business ethics in its supplier contracts.

For the broader Banco Santander group, 89% of suppliers are local and account for 88% of total procurement turnover. Santander US has increased diverse supplier spending by 72% to date and plans a 100% increase in direct supplier diversity spending by 2026.

Honest & Fair Business

Santander has a formal whistleblower policy with reporting channels (phone, email, mail), guarantees confidentiality and no retaliation, and outlines an internal investigation process.

Santander Mexico uses an external reporting system for anonymous reporting of irregularities, available to employees, suppliers, and ex-employees. The company's audit coverage is 75% of consolidated revenue, 74% of consolidated total assets, and 79% of consolidated profit before tax. Five out of nine non-executive directors are considered independent. Santander has a zero-tolerance anti-corruption policy, explicit prohibitions on bribery, and due diligence procedures for third parties. Santander Mexico dedicated 16,964.38 training hours to its General Code of Conduct in 2022. Pluxee Brazil has ISO 37001 certification for its anti-corruption management system, with other entities undergoing third-party assessment.

No War, No Weapons

Santander's Defence Sector Policy, approved by the Board of Directors on February 4, 2025, prohibits financing or supporting the manufacture, trade, distribution, or maintenance of specific prohibited materials, including antipersonnel mines, cluster munitions, chemical/biological/nuclear weapons, and ammunition containing depleted uranium.

It also prohibits transactions with individuals, corporations, or countries subject to arms embargoes and/or sanctions. However, external groups deem Santander's internal policy on financing insufficient, and a report highlights a clear lack of alignment with UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights regarding financing arms companies. Public records indicate Santander contributed over 1,000 million euros to arms production and selling over the last ten years, and financed $2.442 billion to arms companies. This suggests that while a policy exists, it has loopholes or is not fully effective in preventing exposure to controversial weapons, and the company has not achieved zero exposure to controversial weapons. The Board of Directors approved the Defence Sector Policy, and the chair of Santander has urged authorities to allow European lenders to use capital buffers to support investments in the defense sector, indicating board-level engagement. Santander's Environmental and Social Risk Management Policy prohibits rough diamonds from conflict zones not certified by the Kimberley Process and conflict minerals, and states that client activities linked to serious human rights violations are prohibited. No specific percentage of the supply chain certified free from conflict minerals is provided.

Planet-Friendly Business

Santander has a net-zero target year of 2050.

While targets for various sectors are mentioned, not all are SBTi-validated. The company sources 97% of its operational energy consumption from renewables. 38% of its facilities hold green certifications like LEED or BREEAM. Grupo Santander City and Santander España's central services buildings have achieved 'Zero waste' certification, indicating an 80-90% waste diversion rate for these specific facilities. 36% of its capital expenditure is aligned with the EU Sustainable Taxonomy. The company has not reported any major environmental compliance violations, though minor notices are addressed swiftly. Santander has fully adopted TCFD recommendations, including peer-reviewed scenario analysis. It conducts comprehensive climate scenario analysis, including 1.5°C, 2°C, and 3°C+ pathways, which are linked to strategic planning and disclosed in annual reports. The company provides detailed disclosure of climate-affected assets with financial quantification and has implemented transition plans for high-risk assets, supported by sophisticated risk modeling.

Respect for Cultures & Communities

Santander lacks publicly available policies or documentation for key criteria such as Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC), indigenous rights, and customary land use rights.

This indicates an absence of a formal cultural impact assessment protocol, despite the company operating in culturally sensitive areas like the Brazilian Amazon. Furthermore, there is no evidence that Santander has processes in place to ensure clients and investee companies respect FPIC where required, suggesting 0% participation of affected communities in FPIC processes.

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

No specific, concrete data points related to Zero Waste & Sustainable Products were found in the provided article for Banco Santander, S.A.

The article primarily discusses data center efficiency and does not contain information relevant to waste diversion, product recyclability, packaging sustainability, or any other related KPIs.