Better Health for All

Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) is a financial institution whose core products and services (banking, loans, credit cards) do not inherently have direct positive or negative health impacts, leading to a score of 0 for many health-specific KPIs. However, the company's operations intersect with health in other ways. For healthcare data responsibility, 64% of patients are worried about cybersecurity breaches, and 66.67% are worried about cybersecurity breaches, indicating significant public concern about data protection.

For global health crisis response, CBA provided emergency assistance during weather-related events and ASB (a subsidiary) offered NZ$2,000 payments to customers affected by Cyclone Gabrielle and donated NZ$2 million to the Red Cross, along with NZ$180 million in low-cost lending. For mental health initiatives, CBA focuses on employee wellbeing and mental health, conducts a 'Leading Mentally Healthy Workplaces Survey', and the CommBank Staff Foundation donates to mental health organizations.

Fair Money & Economic Opportunity

Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) has cumulatively approved over $4.3 billion in loans under the Government SME Guarantee Scheme.

This represents approximately 0.49% of its total loan book of $882.9 billion, which includes home loans, consumer finance, and business/institutional loans. The bank is fully compliant with PSD2/open-banking APIs, offering free data export. CBA settled a major compliance issue related to a Privacy Enforceable Undertaking with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner in 2024. The bank invested over $50 million in financial education programs over three years, with its 'Start Smart' program reaching over 4.1 million students since 2007, including over 72,700 students from less advantaged schools in 2020. The program has shown positive outcomes, with 94% of primary students learning new budgeting skills and 92% of secondary students intending to set a savings goal. CBA serves 7 million people in rural/remote areas, which is 29% of the Australian population, and maintains the largest branch network in Australia. However, approximately 25% of its service points are in underserved areas.

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) reported 90% support for its Enterprise Agreement from employees in May 2024, indicating high collective bargaining coverage.

The Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate (TRIR) was 0.23 in FY24, reflecting a near-zero injury status. The People Engagement Index was 84% in May 2024, demonstrating a healthy workplace culture. Voluntary employee turnover was 9.0% in FY24, indicating strong workforce stability. Globally, more than 98% of CBA's workforce are permanent full-time or part-time workers, with 880 casual workers out of 48,887 FTE in FY24, resulting in approximately 1.8% on insecure contracts. However, CBA's median total remuneration gender pay gap was 29.9% in favor of men for 2022/23, and 27.6% as of March 2024. The company was also ordered by the Federal Court to pay a penalty of $7.31 million in Fair Work Ombudsman proceedings and $18,000 in Long Service Leave proceedings in Victoria, indicating multiple substantiated labor law violations.

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing

CBA reported no modern slavery incidents identified in its supply chains in FY24 and FY25.

However, social compliance assessments in FY24 identified 17 high priority non-compliance findings related to labour and health and safety, which warranted corrective action. In FY25, findings from social compliance assessments also highlighted areas requiring remediation. The company's total procurement spend in categories rated high or very high-risk for labour rights and modern slavery was 34% in FY24 and 33% in FY25. 75% of CBA suppliers assessed in FY24 either had a policy commitment to address modern slavery risk (68%) or were developing one (9%). In FY24, CBA spent $22.7 million with First Nations suppliers, representing approximately 0.43% of its total procurement spend of AUD$5.2 billion.

Honest & Fair Business

The company has a formal Group Whistleblower Policy, effective April 8, 2025, which applies to all Board Members, employees, and contractors.

It includes a 24/7 SpeakUP Hotline and online portal managed by an external vendor, allowing for confidential and anonymous reporting. The policy outlines protections against detrimental conduct and is reviewed every three years. In 2024, 331 reports were made to the SpeakUP Program, with 65 considered whistleblower cases. The Board comprises 9 Directors, with eight independent Non-Executive Directors and the CEO, and all Non-Executive Directors, including the Chair, were considered independent in FY24. The company has an Anti-Bribery & Corruption (AB&C) framework, including a Group AB&C Policy and Standard, with material breaches reported to the Risk & Compliance Committee. The 2025 Code of Conduct states a commitment to embedding a zero risk appetite culture for bribery, corruption, and facilitation payments. The policy includes third-party due diligence for high-risk transactions. An independent external performance evaluation of the Board and its Committees was conducted in 2024. PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) was appointed as the External Auditor in 2007 and provided assurance on selected Sustainability Funding and Sector-level Glidepath Subject Matter for the 2024 Climate Report, but the extent of independent verification of ethical claims is not specified.

Kind to Animals

Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) does not have a stand-alone animal welfare policy or statement.

Its 2025 Environmental and Social Framework states that CBA will consider how clients manage animal welfare in financing decisions and will not knowingly finance fur farms from endangered species, destructive fishing, shark finning, or commercial whaling. However, this is an internal framework and not evidence of active engagement in animal welfare policy improvement or advocacy for higher standards. CBA is a signatory to the UN's Principles for Responsible Banking, but the articles indicate that many banks' commitments often amount to "greenwashing" and that there is no formal collaboration or minimal engagement with animal welfare stakeholders by CBA.

No War, No Weapons

The Commonwealth Bank's Board is responsible for approving its Environmental & Social (E&S) Policy and Framework, which is reviewed at least every two years.

This policy states the Group will not knowingly provide finance or bond facilitation to clients involved in controversial weapons banned under international agreements, or nuclear weapons outside NATO country government-controlled programs. Controversial weapons are defined to include nuclear weapons (with the NATO exception), biological, chemical, anti-personnel landmines, and cluster munitions. The company states its overall approach to human rights is guided by the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, but an external report indicates that the top 25 Australian Stock Exchange-listed companies, which would include CBA, are not fully embedding their responsibility to protect human rights in line with these principles.

Respect for Cultures & Communities

Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) has established 11 formal partnerships with Indigenous and First Nations organizations, including Supply Nation, Jawun, and Indigenous Business Australia.

The company reported no cultural appropriation incidents. As of September 30, 2024, 1.7% of CBA's domestic workforce identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, with a target to reach 3%. A Human Rights of First Nations Stakeholder Grievance Process is available, but no grievances were raised through this process in the last financial year. The Indigenous Advisory Council provides strategic guidance to the bank. In FY25, CBA spent $62.69 million with First Nations businesses, and aims to spend a cumulative $100 million between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2028. In FY24, CBA engaged 34 First Nations businesses. The company conducted physical inspections of roadside sites to map areas of cultural heritage on the Victorian Road Maintenance Contract Hume project. In FY24, $4 million was provided in sponsorships and grants to First Nations organizations. CBA incorporates Indigenous languages in its employee networks and services, such as Yana Budjari and Koort Waangkiny. In FY24, 40.4% of Australian-based employees completed Indigenous cultural development training, with 35.7% completing cultural learning in FY25.

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

Commonwealth Bank redesigned its bank cards to incorporate 83% recycled plastic.

The company has implemented several waste reduction initiatives, including transforming organics, packaging, and food waste from its internal cafes and meeting facilities into compost through a partnership with BioPak and Compost Connect. Additionally, one of CBA's annual excellence award winners streamlined the home loan process, reducing the amount of physical documentation needed. During the refurbishment of Commonwealth Bank Place, 90% of construction waste was diverted from landfill. CBA's Sustainability Action Tool, launched in 2023, helps small business customers identify sustainable choices in areas like waste management and product design, and offers a 10% discount on BioPak's certified plant-based packaging products.