Resource Center

On June 18th, in the heart of London’s financial district, Sustainalytics hosted its inaugural breakfast symposium, Navigating Developments in the Sustainable Finance Market. It was a full house, with over 60 engaged attendees, including Sustainalytics clients, prospects and partner financial institutions. The expert panel focused on developments and trends in the European and global sustainable finance space. Sustainalytics’ own Trisha Taneja (Sustainable Finance Solutions Product Manager) was joined by David Zahn, Head of European Fixed Income at Franklin Templeton Investments, and Heike Reichelt, Head of Investor Relations and New Products at the World Bank. Kevin Ranney (Director, Sustainable Finance Solutions) moderated the panel.

The purpose of green financing, as stated by the UN Environment Programme, is to increase the level of financial flows (from banking, micro-credit, insurance and investment) from the public, private and not-for-profit sectors to sustainable development priorities. The aim is to align financial systems, working with countries, financial regulators and financial sectors, to direct capital allocation to sustainable development that will shape the production and consumption patterns of tomorrow. Financial mechanisms such as Green Bonds help this alignment as they promote public-private partnerships for sustainable development.

While investors are increasingly focused on how their investment decisions impact the environment and key stakeholders, forward-looking lenders also have sustainability at the core of their allocation strategies. As a result, the demand for sustainable finance products has increased in recent years.

In September 2018, Sustainalytics announced the launch of its next generation ESG Risk Ratings, which evaluate the degree to which a company's enterprise value is exposed to material ESG issues. Specifically, they measure a company's exposure to industry-specific material ESG risks, and how well that company is managing those risks. Combining the concepts of management and exposure we arrive at an absolute assessment of ESG risk that is comparable across subindustries, sectors, companies and regions.

What are Green Bonds? Green bonds are like any other conventional bonds except that the issuer promises to use the proceeds for green investments, green projects or eligible green assets being refinanced.

In 2019, investors globally continue to be concerned about climate change risks and the transition to a low-carbon economy. As investor awareness around climate risk has grown, so too has the sustainable finance market. Sustainable finance, as defined by experts, is any form of financial service which integrates environmental, social or governance (ESG) criteria into business or investment decisions.

Global regulatory initiatives for sustainable finance will be in the spotlight this year. The European Commission’s regulatory initiatives have been the most prominent. Following on the findings of the High-Level Expert Group on Sustainable Finance (HLEG), the European Commission put together a Technical Expert Working Group on Sustainable Finance to implement some of the HLEG’s recommendations. First on its list is the creation of a green taxonomy, which is expected by the second quarter of 2019 and will be followed by a green bond standard.

Read more about creating a document that details the type of projects to be financed, use of proceeds, management of proceeds and commitment to reporting.