Corporate responsibility

UBS is firmly committed to corporate responsibility and actively strives to understand, assess, weigh and address the concerns and expectations of the firm's stakeholders. This process supports UBS in its efforts to safeguard and advance the firm's reputation for responsible corporate conduct. In very direct ways, responsible corporate conduct helps create sustainable value for the company.

Our focus areas

We value and listen to the concerns and expectations of our stakeholders. Clients, investors, employees and government regulators all have a vested interest in UBS. The communities in which UBS has a presence are stakeholders, too. We have a responsibility to understand and address the concerns and expectations of these groups.

We have set our focus on earning the trust of our stakeholders, aiming for more sustainable earnings and creating long-term shareholder value. By ensuring that our banking activities are undertaken in a responsible manner, and that our services are suited to the needs of our clients, we aim to fulfill the heightened expectations of our stakeholders.

Corporate responsibility also manifests itself in how we operate our business. Our in-house environmental management measures and responsible supply chain management consider environmental and human rights aspects; our health & safety and accessibility standards support well-being and equal opportunities among our employees.

The excellence, inspiration and commitment of our employees is critical to meeting clients’ needs and executing our business strategy. This is reflected in the investment we make in managing talent, and in the development of our performance culture and our leadership.

We have a tradition of supporting the advancement and empowerment of organizations and individuals within the communities we do business in. We do this through a variety of community affair activities as well as through a number of foundations dedicated to specific missions.

Ratings and awards

Our performance and efforts were reflected in key external ratings and  rankings, which take into account sustainability issues.

 
News

April 2012

  1. UBS presents the "Most Responsible Business Award"

     JA-YE Europe Trade Fair makes a guest appearance at Zurich’s central station

December 2011

  1. Creating shared value

    In a society where over-consumption and excessive production have become the norm, there has been a shift away as global sectors search for the next big thing. Many believe it could lie in innovative ways of “Creating shared value (CSV)”, a means for business success while having a positive environmental impact. An exploration of doing more with less has begun.

  1. Sustainable mobility

    A panel discussion on the subject of sustainable transport, entitled "Easier – More efficient – Quicker. Is sustainable mobility the solution or a contradiction?", took place on November 29 in the Grünenhof Conference Center in Zurich. It was the first in a series of events about sustainability aimed at bringing together interested parties both within and outside UBS.

Case studies

Portfolio screening for sustainable investing

Aligning a portfolio along personal views and values on sustainability and ethics takes more than just selecting the right products.

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The UBS Visionaris Award: Leveraging the power of social entrepreneurship

Visionaris is a UBS Social Entrepreneurship Award, which aims to bring recognition and add impetus to leading Mexico-based social entrepreneurs.

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Greening the trading floor

At 9,570 m2, the trading floor in Stamford, Connecticut holds the Guinness World Record as the largest column-free securities trading floor in the world.

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