Australian health provider, Ramsay Health Care, refreshed and extended its sustainability-linked loans (SLL) impacting more than AUD1.7 billion ($1.1 billion) of financing facilities.

This involved the adoption of five sustainability performance targets (SPTs), covering both environmental and social impact of the business across the entire value chain.

The five SPTs are:

• Improve the operating environment for employee mental health;
• Reduce energy use per patient;
• Reduce GHG emissions aligned with near term, science-based target;
• Increase on-site renewable energy; and,
• Influence suppliers to achieve better environmental and social outcomes.

Ramsay says the targets are material and ambitious, underscoring its ongoing commitment to healthier people, a thriving planet, and stronger communities, which was confirmed by the second party opinion issued by DNV.

The award is in "recognition for continuous efforts to improve and deepen the sustainability finance framework" commented one Environmental Finance Awards judge.

ING acted as sole sustainability coordinator on the transaction involving more than 20 lenders.