Better Health for All

Societe Generale allocated 20% of its EUR 3 billion "concrete initiatives" budget in 2024, amounting to EUR 600 million, to healthcare initiatives

. This capital allocation supports health innovation, including financing hospital construction in Senegal and a specialized healthcare center in Angola , and supporting e-health solutions through its GLBA Incubator . In response to the health crisis, the company launched a global solidarity program of up to EUR 50 million in April 2020 . This included donating 300,000 masks and over €1.5 million in donations to support various associations, healthcare workers, and medical research globally . It also financed programs to prevent the spread of the virus in Eastern Europe and Africa and supported healthcare workers and hospitals in India . The company provides significant support to the healthcare workforce through initiatives such as loans of vehicles to healthcare professionals , financing 16 projects directly concerning healthcare worker teams , supporting healthcare workers and hospitals in India , and financing a new training center for doctors in Dakar . Societe Generale is involved in initiatives like the Data Act, Gaia-X, and the Health Data Hub , which aim to establish common digital standards, ensure European sovereignty of health data , and comply with GDPR for health data protection, with anonymized and secured data . The company's core financial products and services are generally health-neutral. Its products do not have direct safety implications or addiction potential, nor do they carry health risks requiring disclosure. The company does not offer health-related products or services requiring price accessibility considerations, nor does it engage in preventative health or treatment activities directly. Mental health initiatives are focused internally on employees.

Fair Money & Economic Opportunity

Societe Generale was fined €4.5 million ($4.9 million) by France's fraud watchdog for deceptive marketing practices that resulted in unjustified fees

. The company also incurred $5 million from four consumer-protection-related offenses , contributing to total penalties of over $3.8 billion since 2010 . For inclusion initiatives, approximately 1.48% of its total outstanding client loans of €497 billion is dedicated to microfinance, SME, and environmental/social loans . This includes €41 million in outstanding microfinance loans with ADIE at end-2024 , €120 million in 2022 microfinance exposure in Africa , €2 billion earmarked for low-interest SME/micro-business/professional loans , a €1.5 billion special loan offer for SMEs , €33 million for an SME project in Côte d'Ivoire , $400 million (approx. €368 million) in social ABS for SMEs , €815 million in Positive Impact Loans , and €2.472 billion in Environmental and Social Loans at end-2024 . The company's financial literacy initiatives, such as the Dilemme budget education program, have reached over 600,000 beneficiaries and trained 100,000 young adults over the last decade , representing approximately 2.8% of its 25 million clients . In contrast, Societe Generale launched a €1 billion Transition Investment Fund to support emerging players and solutions with a positive impact , representing 40% of its 2023 net income of €2.5 billion .

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

In 2023, the employee turnover rate for permanent employees was 13%.

Additionally, 91% of employees were on permanent contracts in 2023, meaning 9% were on non-permanent contracts.

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing

Societe Generale, as a financial services company, does not procure or trade physical commodities, making the 'fair_trade_cert_share' and 'materials_risk_index' KPIs not applicable. The company reported €14.8 million in expenses with Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) bodies and companies in France in 2023.

However, without the total procurement budget, the percentage of spend directed to diverse suppliers cannot be determined, which maps to the lowest tier for 'supplier_diversity_spend'. Societe Generale's responsible purchasing policy, initiated in 2006, has led to the renewal of its 'Supplier Relations and Responsible Purchasing' label in 2022 (confirmed 2023), achieving 'exemplary' status in risk management, CSR opportunities, and CSR specification integration. Societe Generale's purchasing practices are aligned with conduct and ethics rules, including a global agreement on fundamental rights with UNI Global Union.

Honest & Fair Business

Societe Generale has a formal whistleblower protection policy in place, which includes an external platform for anonymous reporting, and retaliation against whistleblowers is prohibited.

However, there is no evidence provided regarding independent investigation processes, specific training for the policy, or its effectiveness metrics. The company also has a specific code governing the fight against corruption and influence peddling, and 97% of its staff have been trained on the Code of Conduct. Despite these policies, the company has faced significant penalties related to anti-corruption, including an $860 million penalty for Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations, though this is a cumulative total from 2000 to present, not specific to the last three years.

Kind to Animals

As a financial services company, Societe Generale's core business model means animal testing policies and volumes are not applicable to its direct operations.

For animal agriculture ethics, the bank's policy, strengthened in 2022 and 2024, requires clients in palm oil, South American soybean and beef sectors to make non-deforestation commitments and share traceability progress. It also encourages clients active in livestock farming to adopt a time-bound plan for transitioning towards production or sourcing systems meeting FARMS requirements, though an external assessment notes these principles do not fully cover the ethical criteria. Societe Generale participates in coalitions and work groups such as the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) Forum and the Corporate Programme of the Science-Based Targets Network (SBTN), and signed the Finance for Biodiversity Pledge in 2022.

No War, No Weapons

Societe Generale excludes financing and transactions for products or activities subject to international bans, UN, EU, or OSCE embargoes, or sanctions regimes.

The company excludes investment in market instruments issued by or involving companies engaged in excluded weapons, including their parent or holding companies and all subsidiaries under effective and direct control. However, there is no strict exclusion of companies from funding solely based on prohibited conduct. Any deviation from the defense and security policy requires exceptional approval from a senior management oversight committee. The company excludes arms transactions where the exporter is not an Arms Trade Treaty party and end-user certificate verification is impossible. It also excludes transactions posing a significant risk of serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law, with exceptions for UN-mandated organizations. Human rights due diligence is conducted annually in high-risk regions during client onboarding, periodic reviews, and new transaction analysis for clients with internal restrictions, assessing potential convictions related to arms trade non-compliance or corruption within the past 3 years. The company assesses transaction acceptability based on the final destination's sensitivity and criteria from the EU Council and UN ATT, relying on transaction documentation. Societe Generale has codified ethical red lines, excluding cluster munitions, anti-personnel mines, biological/chemical weapons, non-detectable fragment weapons, blinding laser weapons, and equipment for torture, as well as nuclear weapons programs (with exceptions for NPT nuclear-weapon states that are NATO members). The company will not provide services for the direct benefit of any company involved in the development, manufacture, or trade of these excluded weapons. It assesses transaction acceptability based on the sensitivity of the final destination, particularly countries with active conflicts or declared wars. The company has developed an E&S Transversal Statement on Human Rights, which includes a commitment to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

Planet-Friendly Business

Société Générale's total Scope 1, 2, and 3 greenhouse gas emissions for 2024 were 259,874,385 tCO2e, representing a 141,525.38% increase from 2023.

The company has established climate goals aligned with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), but these targets are subject to validation. A net-zero target year of 2050 has been set. The company has a framework designed to consider EU Taxonomy requirements on a best-effort basis, with ISS Corporate Solutions confirming alignment with ICMA Principles and the EU Taxonomy for green eligible activities, but not assessing Do No Significant Harm criteria for all green activities. The company participates in the Science-Based Targets Network for Climate & Nature and the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) Forum. It strengthened its agriculture policy in 2022 and 2024 with strict criteria for clients in palm oil, soya, beef, cocoa, coffee, rubber, and timber sectors, requiring large corporate clients in palm oil and South American soy and beef sectors to be committed to deforestation-free activities by the end of 2025. The bank's climate strategy is informed by the International Energy Agency's Net Zero scenario. The company acknowledges that anticipating the sector’s transition is necessary for oil and gas companies and investors to reduce risks and ensure a fair transition for workers and communities, and considers the social implications of such actions, including employee reskilling.

Respect for Cultures & Communities

Societe Generale reports no specific cultural appropriation incidents.

The company has a whistleblowing system available in over 20 languages and a Speak-up framework for staff, but these are not explicitly described as community-specific grievance mechanisms. Customer claims have a target response time of two months (60 days), which falls into the 60-120 days resolution tier. The Societe Generale Corporate Foundation, which supports classical music and artist residency programs, had a budget of €7 million in 2023 and is increasing by 50%, but the percentage of reinvested funds specifically directed to cultural preservation is not provided. Total purchases from social and solidarity economy organizations amounted to €14.8 million, which is less than 5% of the company's €6.2 billion external expenditure, indicating a low local procurement share. The Group's Corporate Foundation budget is increasing, and a new €1 billion transition investment fund is being launched, but the percentage of non-core revenue distributed to community development funds is not specified. The Code of Conduct is available in 19 to 21 languages, and the whistleblowing system in over 20 languages, indicating limited local language incorporation. The company distributed a Speak-up framework and rolled out an Ethics and Conduct training program to all employees in 2023, but this is a reactive response framework rather than proactive prevention. Over 80% of Group employees have completed at least one ESG training course since 2021, and 95% of the top 1,400 managers completed cultural sensitivity training by the end of 2023, but the overall percentage of employees completing cultural sensitivity training is not provided.

Safe & Smart Tech

No specific, concrete data points were found for SGE.XETRA across any of the KPIs in the rubric. The provided articles discuss general industry trends, the importance of certain ethical considerations, or historical incidents (such as the 2008 Kerviel fraud) that fall outside the relevant timeframe for scoring.

Therefore, no KPIs can be scored based on the evidence provided.

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

Societe Generale achieved a 40% recycling rate in 2023, marking a 10% increase in a year.

The company has eliminated single-use plastics, plastic bottles, and pots in French central buildings' corporate catering facilities and provided staff with glass bottles to replace plastic or paper cups in Warsaw. Waste per occupant was reduced by almost 31% between 2021 and 2023, resulting in 155 fewer tons of waste in central buildings in 2023. Waste reduction initiatives include selective sorting in five streams, further sorting for Corporate Centre buildings, removal of individual bins, and a partnership with Recycléa for WEEE recycling. The company also implemented local sorting and recycling solutions for building site waste and reused cardboard boxes up to 20 times for staff relocations. Societe Generale offers a personalized event badge recycling service and sells used furniture to employees, with 1,400 items (26 tons) sold and 4,000 items donated to charities since January 2024. Approximately 2,500 armchairs were renovated using 3D printing, costing a quarter of new furniture. In Luxembourg, 80% of existing furniture was reintegrated into the Arsenal building, cutting financial costs by 50% compared to new purchases. The company monitors waste sorting and challenges partners in specific locations like the Alicante-Chassagne Towers. The company also aims to contribute to the development of a circular economy and mentions extending product life cycles through sharing, reusing, repairing, renovating, and recycling existing products and materials.