At the start of the year, we presented a collaboration with Julien Vidal , founder of It Starts With Me movement . And if you remember correctly, we told you about his book “ Giving power back to your money ”. So today we would like to talk to you about ethical banks and how to empower your money and change your impact on the planet. Let's go !
Vote for the planet with our bank cards
Does Robin Hood speak to you? With his friend Jean, they took money from the rich to give it to the poor. This cartoon rocked our childhood, unfortunately your bank is not Robin Hood and the money you deposit with it is probably not used, either to help the poorest, or to build a greener world for tomorrow.
Banks shape and build the world of tomorrow with the good and bad investments they make. Currently, the big banks whose names you all know tend to finance the kind of bad investments like fossil fuels. With the banks of tomorrow like Hélios and Green Got , we want to reverse the trend by financing a fairer and more environmentally friendly world. Stay with us, we give you all the arguments!
Our bank accounts pollute, and even more than our exhaust pipes! Did you know ? According to a 2020 Oxfam France report, our money pollutes much more than our consumption. And far from sleeping in a safe, it is used to finance polluting industries such as coal and oil . You wonder how this is possible. Quite simply, the banks give money and therefore help companies that pollute to finance their projects.
“To consume is to vote” . You probably all know this phrase. And it's true, it's the consumers who, through their choices, make a sector prosper. You will tell us that it is above all up to companies to change things, to produce better, to do better in general. And with the Oé team , we agree, that's why we do our best to make our business as responsible as possible. But since this is not the case for all companies, you too have a role to play. At our level, we can influence the strategic decisions of large companies. By choosing to consume only local, seasonal, organic products , by traveling as much as possible by bicycle instead of the car, by buying in bulk , by practicing the deposit , by boycotting fashion brands that exploit their employees and who do not use responsible materials, by becoming flexitarian (for their health first and foremost and for the planet too)
So if you too want this to stop, new alternatives to the banking behemoths already exist! We'll tell you more right now ;)
Financing the transition by supporting exclusively eco-responsible projects
Do you know the story of David versus Goliath? The fight of a small man armed only with a slingshot to face the fighter of the Philistines, a giant.
This fight was not won in advance, far from it, few people would have put a coin on David's victory and yet, a stone was enough to make him a hero!
At Oé, we firmly believe in these stories, we believe that the little ones can achieve great things, especially when they have great projects. The proof, at Oé we have often been told that some of our ambitions were not going to work, the deposit has often been criticized and yet today, we are proud to be the first wine brand to relaunch the deposit national scale .
In the end, what you need is to believe in your projects and to have a little support . This is why at Oé we are fully behind these ethical banks that take the bull by the horns and tackle the problems of financing in the world.
Thanks to these banks, the financing of coal, oil, chemical pesticides and all industries that do neither good for the planet nor good for people is over. Instead, banks like Helios or Green Got contribute to projects that support ecological transition such as ecosystem conservation , energy efficiency and waste treatment . Speaking of which, without being a bank or putting a coin somewhere, you can easily bring your stone to the building by sorting at home, having compost and limiting your waste as much as possible. The bulk is back in force and that's very good news!
Do you have to see it to believe it or believe it to see it? You have four hours. Ethical banks are like us and they have found the solution to easily answer this question, transparency ! Yes, by being transparent about what we do, our commitments , our decisions , our progress and even our worries , we share our daily lives with you and you know who you are dealing with. Thanks to our blog , we can tell you everything, our news but also our advice for better consumption and give you many tips on wine.
Speaking of transparency, do you know where your money is going in a traditional bank? When your coins are kept warm in your piggy bank you know where they are, even without having an eye on them, but once the money is in your account, it's harder to know where it ends up.
On your phone you see your money in your account and you think it's not moving, yet it's always on the move, used to finance projects and make it grow. That's how banks make their money and that's normal. What is less normal is that you don't know what project your money is financing. The promise of ethical banks is to tell you where your money is going. You can choose the projects you prefer to support, follow the progress of these projects and keep a watchful eye on your money which helps finance responsible projects . Cannon, right?
Oh, we are in an ethical bank
We have just told you about Helios and Green Got , banks that offer current accounts, and which will soon also offer savings solutions. Conversely, La Nef does not have a current account service but develops savings products. Wow, it's starting to get technical… Don't worry, we won't go into the details, and if you're ever interested and want to understand everything, don't hesitate to take a look at the Hélios website , the Nave and Green Got .
Basically, at Helios and Green Got you have an account with a card and you can easily deposit and withdraw money. At the Nave , you put your money to bloom and get it back later, when it makes sense or matters to you.
As we told you a little earlier, when money sleeps in the bank, it does not sleep, it is a real sleepwalker. It is used by banks around the world to finance projects that are not necessarily ethical . To avoid this, we decided at Oé to deposit our piggy bank in the Nave to be sure that our cash is used to finance ethical and responsible projects .
“The Nave ? I've never heard of it, is that normal?
Sometimes those who talk the least do the best . Of course, we see more often on TV, in the street and on our smartphones advertisements from the big banks which tell us that they are acting for a better world but which are going to finance oil wells. Ethical banks are less visible because for the moment, they have less resources and above all, they are focused on good deeds rather than false good words. So if you've never heard of the Nave , nothing out of the ordinary and we're happy to introduce it to you.
La Nef is the mother of ethical banks , a true pioneer. Created in 1988, 10 years before the coronation of the Blues at the 98 World Cup, the Nef already saw a better future where sustainable projects were financed. Even today, the Nef continues to build the world of tomorrow thanks to individuals and companies who believe in social and environmental innovation .
As our friend Julien Vidal says: "The money that the big banks use is ours. So let's take it back and learn how to direct it in a way that promotes sustainable, egalitarian and joyful societies of tomorrow.”
