Social and environmental responsibility is in the DNA of the cooperative movement. That is why this business model usually surprises with innovative ideas and projects that escape from the conventional.

When the possibility arose to install a branch in the largest financial corridor of the city of João Pessoa, Sicredi Evolution – the largest cooperative financial institution in the Northeast with R$ 2 billion in assets, more than 30,000 members and 21 branches in the state of Paraíba – wanted to make a difference and designed a 100% sustainable branch.

Located on the city’s main avenue, connecting downtown to the waterfront, the Epitácio Pessoa Branch brings together technology and innovation at the service of sustainability.

With a modern structure, the unit was built with 22 containers, has thermal insulation, generates its own electricity, uses rainwater and was built in only six months, with very low waste of materials.

INTELLIGENT WORK

The Epitácio branch is the first large-sized bank branch built with containers in Latin America. Moreover, it was the first building to receive LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification in the capital of the state of Paraíba. This international certification is one of the strictest in the world and attests to the sustainability of a building in eight aspects:

• rational use and reduction of natural resource extraction
• reduction of water and energy consumption
• conscious and orderly implantation, in a sustainable space, with easy access to sustainable means of transportation, such as electric cars and bicycles
• reduction of the effects of climate change
• use of materials and technologies with low environmental impact
• reduction, treatment, and reuse of construction waste
• innovation and processes
• regional priority credits.

In addition to contributing to environmental preservation, the inauguration of this sustainable Sicredi Evolution branch made the population and members realize the importance of developing a business model based on social and environmental responsibility.

In relation to the city, the fact that the branch has a raised floor, or in other words, does not touch the ground over its entire surface, allows rainwater to run off freely and be absorbed by the ground. Works like this ensure that flooding does not occur and that the groundwater is replenished.

The cooperative members, on the other hand, can enjoy a service unit with a strategic location and easy access. Private parking, electric car chargers, bicycle parking, accessibility, and selective collection (batteries) are other differentials of the location.

The employees gained both a new place and a new work philosophy – even more focused on the importance of the environment in their day-to-day lives. They live daily what it means to be sustainable and, just like the cooperative members, enjoy all the comfort and innovation of the agency.

It is worth noting: the Epitácio Pessoa Sicredi branch achieved the Gold level of LEED certification – the highest of them all.