Membres
Candidate for GRAND PRIX 2025 in the Green category – OTP Bank a.d. Serbia – OTP Village
During this year's Gala evening, which will be held on March 20, we will organize the traditional Grand Prix CCIFS awards ceremony.
OTP Village is an innovative project by OTP Bank Serbia, representing a model of sustainable development and corporate social responsibility, designed to preserve biodiversity, raise ecological awareness, and strengthen the local community. Created in collaboration with the Supernatural association, OTP Village focuses on urban beekeeping, planting honey plants, implementing ecological technologies, and educating citizens and the entire community. Through the synergy of ecology and education, this project demonstrates how the business sector can contribute to sustainable development.
OTP Village addresses the global issue of the decline in bee populations in urban areas, which seriously threatens ecosystems, agricultural production, and climate stability. Identified challenges include the lack of suitable habitats for bees in cities, low public awareness about the importance of biodiversity, and insufficient application of ESG standards in the business environment.
The project has two goals – increasing biodiversity, which involves establishing an urban beekeeping farm and a nursery for honey plants, directly improving the ecosystem and promoting the preservation of natural balance, as well as ecological education, since OTP Village also serves as an educational center where bank employees, their children, and citizens learn about nature conservation and the application of sustainable practices in everyday life through workshops, lectures, and digital campaigns.
This project contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), especially Goal 13, which focuses on climate preservation, primarily through reducing carbon footprints by planting plants that absorb CO2, as well as education about climate change. Additionally, it contributes to Goal 15, which relates to protecting life on land by preserving bee habitats and raising awareness about the importance of biodiversity.
Through this project, OTP Bank demonstrates that economic growth and company development can be aligned with sustainability principles. Moreover, as part of OTP Bank's sustainable business strategy (ESG), this project represents a model of the circular economy through the use of natural resources and minimizing ecological impact.
OTP Village addresses both internal stakeholders, such as employees, through special corporate ecological programs, strategies, and training, as well as external stakeholders, such as citizens, particularly younger generations, through educational campaigns and workshops, and entrepreneurs, by supporting the production of organic products such as teas and natural cosmetics.
The main activities of the project include planting over 15 honey plants and setting up urban beehives, organizing ecological workshops for children, youth, and bank employees, opening a plant laboratory for drying herbs and producing organic tea and phytocosmetics, as well as implementing an advanced irrigation system that reduces water consumption by up to 30%.
Since its inception, OTP Village has made a significant impact – over 500 participants in internal and external educational workshops on nature conservation and biodiversity, a significant increase in ecological awareness among employees and the local community, and a reduction in the bank’s ecological footprint as part of the goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030.
OTP Village is an "always on" project, meaning it is continuously active, constantly developing, and improving with the aim of long-term contributions to environmental protection and community education. In the next phase of development, OTP Bank plans to expand the project by building a greenhouse, launching a beekeeping workshop, and further planting medicinal herbs, further contributing to environmental protection and local community development.
For more information about the project, you can visit our website – https://generator.otpbanka.rs or our YouTube channel – OTP Bank Serbia.
