ING sells financial products and services, not only in the Netherlands but all over the world. We aim to pursue a profit, but not at any cost. For instance not at the cost of the environment and biodiversity, nor at the expense of people or human rights. Wherever we operate, we endeavour to take part in society in a positive and responsible way - be it in India, Mexico, Australia or the Netherlands.

So how do we do this? It goes without saying that ING complies with national and international laws and regulations. But we do more. In many of the countries where we operate, laws do not provide answers to important questions on issues like deforestation, pollution, child labour and weapons. That is why it is important for us to form our own opinion on these issues. ING will not invest in cluster bombs, for instance, despite the fact that practically no country prohibits their production.

We have our own vision on ethical topics, the environment, people and society. This vision is translated into the policies we apply all over the world. By promoting continuous dialogue with our stakeholders - ING’s employees, customers and shareholders, but also organisations engaged in issues concerning human rights or the climate - we are able to constantly evaluate our policies and adjust them where necessary.

For more information, see our policies.

ING supports 85 million customers around the globe – private individuals, companies, institutions and governments – to manage their financial future. We do this by putting our customers first, developing long-term relationships and providing products and services that are competitive and easy to understand. We are committed to treating our customers fairly and being responsive to their needs.

That is why:

• We want to make sure that our customers are offered the right products and services.
• We want to reduce complexity and provide clear and transparent information and easy access.
• We handle information with care and respect customer privacy.
• We invest in building and improving the financial capability of our customers by providing them with various financial education tools.

From the time a product idea is born to the end of its life, ING has a wide range of obligations. We need to adhere to consumer protection regulations during each customer contact.

ING must preserve the trust of its stakeholders by selling the right products to the right customer – with the right return for the customer, distributor and ING. To help achieve this, we follow a structured approach to developing and maintaining our product offerings.

Changes in market circumstances and our strategy to make ING easier to work with drive us to better understand who we are selling to, and how we can best match our products to our customers’ changing needs.

We attach great importance to open and straightforward communications with all stakeholders.
That is why we aim to provide clarity in the prices and conditions of our products and services, using clear language that is understandable to customers. In our marketing and sales activities we strive to be fair, clear and not misleading.

We recognise that access to basic financial services is essential for citizens. Through financial services consumers are economically and socially integrated into society. That is why we want to offer financial services that are easy to access for all segments of the population, without differentiation or exclusion.

We also believe that tailoring our products and services to specific customer needs will not only increase our overall accessibility but will also help us improve our service level.

ING started several initiatives to increase accessibility for disadvantaged and underserved groups in society. Many of ING’s retail businesses provide for basic bank accounts and offer special products for underserved groups.

ING employees are expected to handle information with care. In particular, the security and confidentiality of all information – including customers’ personal information – must be safeguarded. Protecting the personal information of our customers is vital to being a trusted organisation. Customer privacy policies have been implemented within our business units worldwide.

Nowadays, consumers have to make more critical financial decisions, while the choice of products and delivery channels has increased substantially. Financial education is a key element in empowering consumers with the confidence and capacity to take more informed financial decisions. Giving individuals more insight is an essential step towards managing their financial future throughout their different life phases. We believe financial education is complementary to consumer protection and responsible behaviour of both financial institution and consumers. We support the promotion of financial literacy through a number of community investment initiatives.

Within ING we strive to enhance the financial capability of consumers and especially of our customers. A first step is providing clear and transparent information so that our customers understand our product and services. In addition we have developed a number of practical tools that help our customers to get more insight into their personal financial situation and that simplify financial decision-making.

Our starting point is that education can only be effective if it is relevant to people’s needs. That is why we link our initiatives to the different phases of customers’ lives, from buying a house to managing a pension.

We are convinced that financial education should start as early as possible in customers’ lives. Therefore our initiatives have a special focus on youth education, starting with young customers and their parents.

Investing in financial education is also one of ING’s community investment priorities. It is a natural way for ING to share its knowledge and skills and align its community investments with the core business.

Many of our customers are happy to know our products do no harm. An increasing number of customers - both private and corporate - feel the need to make a more active contribution. For this growing group we develop products and services that have sustainability at their core.

ING’s Green Finance Department provides loans for environmentally friendly projects.

Sustainable Equity Funds
ING offers investors socially responsible investment (SRI) opportunities such as the ING Investment Management global sustainable equity funds. The managers of the funds combine conventional financial analysis with the assessment of environmental and social policies and performance.

Responsible investment for ING Private Banking clients
A fast-growing number of private banking investors are not only interested in financial value, but also want to know how companies realise profits. Besides receiving the usual financial information about a company, they take environmental, social and ethical criteria into account.

The products and services of ING Car Lease allow you, as a driver, to reduce and compensate your CO2 emissions. They help you minimise the effect of driving on the environment and at the same time cut costs.

The Emissions Products team of ING Commercial Banking focuses on projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions under the rules of the United Nations’ Kyoto Protocol on climate change.

ING Real Estate is an real estate group engaged in investing in, financing and developing quality real estate in all major global markets. It had a total portfolio of over EUR 100 billion at the end of 2008. ING Real Estate employs over 2,600 people worldwide who serve a broad client base across four continents.

For more information please visit ING for Something Better