The Montreal Canadiens and the RBC-Royal Bank announced Monday morning a partnership agreement under which the RBC logo will appear, starting next season, on the jerseys of Canadian players worn at home at the Bell Centre.
“We are very proud to be associated with such an iconic brand as RBC,” said France Margaret Bélanger, president of the sports and entertainment division of Groupe CH, in a press release.
This decision does not find the same echo at Greenpeace Quebec, which describes it as shameful. “It’s the worst Canadian bank, the one that contributes the most to climate change,” protested Greenpeace spokesperson Patrick Bonin in an interview with The Canadian Press.
“We call on the fans who intend to buy a sweater and they are asked to paint the RBC logo black, because that is what this company does, it is literally defiling Sainte-Flanelle,” added Patrick Bonin.
Among the world’s largest banks, Royal Bank of Canada ranks fifth in fossil fuel investment, with $160 billion between 2016 and 2020, report says Banking on Climate Chaosreleased by a consortium of environmental groups last spring.
In Canada, RBC tops the list of funding for this sector, and it has nearly doubled its support for this industry from 2020 to 2021, from $19 billion to $39 billion, according to data from Banking on Climate Chaos.
Paradoxically, the same year that it doubled its aid to fossil fuels, the RBC also announced its commitment to modify its portfolio of loans and investments in order to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
The CH claims to be “green”
On its website, the CH prides itself on having launched the program “Vert le but! “, an “ambitious and vast project aimed at positioning the club as a leader in environmental management through professional sport”.
The hockey club says it wants to “reduce its ecological footprint by [soutenant] the ecological turn and the renewal of its resources in addition to encouraging its vast pool of supporters to follow suit”.
Among the actions undertaken by the team within the framework of this program, according to its website, “95% of the utensils, glasses and plates given to the Bell Center are biodegradable”, and “communications during games are encouraged [ent] supporters to travel by public transport”.
These “small gestures” for “ [soutenir] going green” are incompatible with promoting RBC, according to Greenpeace.
” They [les dirigeants] want to be green, but they give incredible exposure to the worst bank. It is obviously a problem of consistency on the part of the CH and also of credibility”, specified Patrick Bonin, adding that this decision will have a negative impact among supporters, “particularly among young people, who believe that the banks must stop funding fossil fuels[…] there are many young people who will be disappointed today”.
Greenpeace also links this trade association to the impact of climate change on outdoor rinks.
“The RBC, in fact, it is probably the biggest risk in outdoor hockey in Canada by contributing to climate change, while the Canadian has gone to finance refrigerated rinks in winter, something we would never have imagined. a few years ago and, on the other hand, he is doing the exact opposite by supporting the worst bank. »
The Canadian Press attempted to arrange an interview with a spokesperson for the organization, but as of Monday afternoon the news agency was still awaiting a response.