Sustainable development is a fundamental value guiding the development of Crédit Agricole.

Over the years the Group has signed up to a number of charters and international principles in order to structure its resource management and optimise its activities.

• 2003 – the Group signs the United Nations Global Compact, which promotes ten principles governing :
  • human rights ;
  • labour ;
  • the environment ;
  • anti-corruption.
• 2003 – the Group signs the Equator Principles. It was the first French bank to adopt these principles, which ensure that social, societal and environmental criteria are taken into account when financing projects worth more than $10 million.
• 2006 – Amundi (formerly CAAM) signs up to the Principles for Responsible Investment (PR I*).
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  January 2008 – the Group signs the Diversity Charter to promote awareness within the workforce, support gender equality, fight discrimination in hiring and integrate disabled employees in the workplace.
• September 2008 – the Grameen Crédit Agricole Microfinance Foundation is established. This is a joint initiative by Crédit Agricole and Grameen Bank (a microfinance* institution) founded in Bangladesh in 1983 by the 2006 Nobel Peace prizewinner, Muhammad Yunus.
  
  The Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation – a not-for-profit organisation with a ¤50 million endowment from Crédit Agricole – seeks to fight poverty and financial exclusion in emerging countries by helping to develop microfinance* institutions and social business* projects.
• December 2008 – the Group signs the Climate Principles* for the financial sector (coordinated by The Climate Group). In doing so Crédit Agricole reaffirmed its commitment to fighting climate change and reducing greenhouse gases.
  
  The bank plays an important role by helping the individuals, companies and local authorities it finances to select projects that mitigate climate change risks.
• December 2009 – the Group signs the corporate Human Rights Charter, embarking on a progress-dri-ven approach involving situation assessments, awareness-raising activities improvement plans. The approach will be implemented via the three dimensions of CSR* : social and managerial, economic, and environmental criteria.
• January 2010 – Crédit Agricole Private Equity adheres to the United Nations Principles for Socially Responsible Investment (SRI*).