After a well-deserved summer break, students are returning to their classrooms. But it’s not just them that have to keep learning. In a detailed report with 13 recommendations on the role of sustainable finance for the Swiss financial centre published by the Federal Council in summer, sustainable finance education and training was one of the key goals mentioned – a goal that has also been in the centre of many SSF activities.

Jointly with the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), SSF recently released a study based on interviews with different players from education and finance suggesting concrete measures on how to make sustainability a firm element of finance education and training. Furthermore, through our updated e-learning tool and our publications and webinars, we support practitioners in building up relevant know-how in this area of growing importance. We are convinced that education can serve as an important lever for greater sustainability in the economy.

Besides this, SSF is also working on other projects in the field of sustainability in real estate investments, ESG transparency in portfolios, and on finance instruments for a low-carbon economy – so stay tuned!

Kind regards,

Alberto Stival

Director PR and Communication, Swiss Sustainable Finance (SSF)

SSF activities at a glance

Regulatory and market news

New members joining SSF

Join these events

SSF and sustainable finance in the media

New reports & studies

New finance education report

SSF replied to EU Consultation

Four new representatives elected to SSF Board

Read more about these and other SSF activities

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Swiss news

• The Federal Council released a report and guidelines on sustainability in Switzerland’s finance sector. The report examines 13 measures for sustainability in the Swiss financial sector, some of which are also being discussed in the EU, and focuses on environmental aspects. Federal Councillor Ueli Maurer presented the report and outlined the government’s position at a media conference on 26 June together with other finance industry associations and SSF.

International initiatives

• The CFA Institute is working on ESG Disclosure Standards for Investment Products, which it intends to issue by May 2021. Market players can now provide feedback on a first consultation paper published this month, in which the authors also reference the SFAMA/SSF recommendations on multiple occasions.
• The Principles for Responsible Banking (PRB), founded about one year ago, have now set up a mechanism to de-list signatories that do not meet the initiatives key steps. A new governance body will ensure effective implementation of the PRB signatory commitments.
• A multitude of financial institutions have joined an informal working group to develop a task force on nature-related disclosures (TNFD), complementing the TCFD. The initiative, coordinated by UN bodies, is also backed by the Swiss and UK government.
• A further new initiative, the Net Zero Investment Framework, was presented by IIGCC in early August with the aim to help all investors transition their portfolios towards achieving net zero emissions and a decarbonised global economy. A consultation on the framework is currently open.

Market trends

• The European Central Bank (ECB) switched to low-carbon benchmarks for the equity portfolio of its staff pension fund of €1.3 bn. This was announced in its annual report in May and the switch implemented as of this June.
• Germany is set to launch its first sovereign green bond in September. The German finance ministry announced that the first issue will have a volume of €4 bn and will be used to fund environmental projects in 5 key areas. Overall, Germany plans to issue €11 bn by the end of the year.
• In Australia, a student filed a lawsuit against the government alleging that it failed to disclose climate change-related risks to investors in the country’s sovereign bond. This is the first time that such a case is being brought against a sovereign nation.
• The Sustainable Development Investment (SDI) Asset Owner Platform, developed by large Dutch pension funds APG and PGGM over the past year with the support of other asset owners, has now been launched. The AI-based platform enables investors to assess companies on their contribution to the SDGs.

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We are very happy to welcome the following organisations to our network:

• Aberdeen Standard Investments (Switzerland) AG (Asset Manager)
• AZEK AG (Education and training facility)
• Bernische Lehrerversicherungskasse (Asset owner)
• Caisse de pensions de la société Firmenich SA (Asset owner)
• Ernst & Young Ltd (Service provider)
• Green Eight Capital AG (Asset Manager)
• MFS International Switzerland GmbH (Asset Manager)
• Verband Schweizerischer Kantonalbanken (Association)

The full list of our members and network partners, now standing at 158, can be found on the SSF website.

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Upcoming SSF events:

• 10 September 2020, WWF and SSF joint event series, Webinar: Evaluating climate risk assessment tools, Online (for SSF members and network partners only)
• 23 September 2020, Ticino for Sustainable Finance, Lugano or online (more information soon)
• 29 September 2020, Joint webinar of SSF with Swiss Embassy in Hong Kong and Sustainable Finance initiative Hong Kong, Online (more information soon)

Other sustainable finance events:

• 31 August 2020, Aligning insurance portfolios with the Paris Agreement, (jointly organised by UNEP PSI and Swiss Re), Online
• 1 September 2020, Swiss Green Economy Symposium, Winterthur
• 3 September 2020, Geneva Forum for Sustainable Investments, Geneva
• 8 September 2020, FNG Dialog, Zurich
• 9 September 2020, Inrate webinar: ESG Bonds Switzerland - Two Approaches, Online
• 10-11 September 2020, St. Gallen Forum for Management of Renewable Energies, organised by the University of St. Gallen, St. Gallen
• 5-6 October, TBLI Conference Europe, Online
• 18 November, Sustainable Investments Day, Zurich

 Other activities & opportunities:

• The 6th edition of the Global Green Finance Index (GGFI) will be published this autumn, rating the world’s financial centres on the depth and quality of their green finance. You can give your opinion on the centres in which you have done business by filling in this survey.

Further events are currently being planned – more information on our website

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• 26 August 2020, finews, ESG-Investments: Zweifel an der Krisenfähigkeit
• 19 August 2020, Tagesanzeiger, Schweizer Firma finanziert Solarstrom für Kalifornien
• 17 August 2020, Finanz und Wirtschaft, ESG Daten richtig nutzen
• 10 August 2020, Le Temps, L'impact de la finance durable reste modeste
• 17 July 2020, Finanz und Wirtschaft, Wie Megatrends die Bankenwelt beeinflussen
• 1 July 2020, Finews, SSF: Nachhaltigkeits-Vereinigung holt weitere Finanzmanager an Bord
• July 2020, Tuttogreen, La finanza svizzera si fa sempre più sostenibile, siamo pronti a cogliere l'attimo?
• July 2020, Schweizer Personalvorsorge, Die Wirkung rückt in den Fokus / L'impact en point de mire (article by Sabine Döbeli)
• 26 June 2020, Le Temps, Finance durable: la direction est donnée, les moyens d’avancer viendront plus tard
• 26 June 2020, SRF Tagesschau, Ideen für grüneren Finanzplatz - Finanzinstitute geloben mehr Transparenz für Klimaschutz
• 26 June 2020, SRF4 News, Nachhaltige Finanzanlagen-Der Bundesrat bleibt Beobachter
• 25 June 2020, Rete Uno-Radio Giornale, Edizione delle 12:30 (interview with Alberto Stival starting at 5min)
• 20 June 2020, IPE, Swiss government outlines framework for sustainable finance

Visit our website for more articles and regular updates

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• August 2020: A new study by the ZHAW examines the importance of sustainable investments for Swiss pension funds, interviewing 24 pension funds with assets of around CHF 285 billion about their sustainable investment strategies.
• August 2020: The Alternative Bank Switzerland (ABS) and the Center for Philanthropy Studies (CEPS) at the University of Basel jointly released a guide "Mit Wirkung Anlegen/ Investir en créant de l’impact", which sets out a seven-step procedure to simplify and promote impact-oriented investing for foundations.
• July 2020: In a recent publication, researchers from the ETH Zurich assessed 16 climate transition tools regarding quality, comparability and decision-relevance. Based on this, they set out potential next steps for providers, conclusions for tool users and guidelines for supervisory authorities.
• July 2020: The US SIF Foundation published a report on the Rise of ESG in Passive Investments, exploring the growth of passive ESG investing and the debate on the effectiveness of passive versus active ESG funds.
• June 2020: The Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS) published a first set of climate scenarios for central banks and supervisors, along with a user guide. The NGFS scenarios explore the transition and physical impacts of climate change under varying assumptions, with the aim to provide a common reference framework to understand these risks.
• June 2020: In a new guide on sustainable municipal finances (in German), the Forum Nachhaltige Geldanlage (FNG) provides recommendations on divestment and the integration of sustainability in municipal finances and investments.
• July 2020: A white paper on sports and finance for development offers a new perspective on how private and public capital can be mobilized to fund targeted sports for development (S4D).

Read these and other reports in our Digital Library on Sustainable Finance

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