Partnership between United Nations Environment and the global financial sector to promote sustainable finance
This report summarises the research and outreach activities carried out under the Fiduciary Duty in the 21st Century programme, convened by UNEP FI and the PRI, with the generous financial support of The Generation Foundation. The final report on Fiduciary Duty in the 21st Century presents the conclusions of the 4-year research and detailed analysis […]
The Corporate Impact Analysis Tool helps banks and investors gain a cross-cutting view of the impact status and possibilities of their clients and investee companies. Based on the Positive Impact Initiative’s unique approach, it provides a holistic analysis of companies’ impacts across different sectors and countries. Download tool here The findings of the Tool are […]
The Portfolio Impact Analysis Tool for Banks represents a great step forward for holistic impact analysis in banking. Developed jointly by the Positive Impact Initiative with signatories of the Principles for Responsible Banking and UNEP FI Member Banks, the Tool will help banks analyze the impacts associated with their retail (consumer and business banking) and […]
Twelve institutional investors from eight countries, convened by UNEP FI and supported by Carbon Delta, have worked throughout 2018–2019 to analyse, evaluate, and test, state-of-the- art methodologies to enable 1.5°C, 2°C, and 3°C scenario-based analysis of their direct property investment portfolios in line with the recommendations of the FSB’s Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures […]
Plastic is an increasingly high-profile threat to our climate, ocean, wildlife and human health as it becomes widespread both in the ocean and on land, where it is impacting our ecosystems and threatening lives and human health. Plastics also make a direct contribution to climate change: their energy-intensive manufacture from fossil fuels, recycling and incineration […]
The Good Growth Partnership convenes a wide range of stakeholders and initiatives throughout soy, beef and palm oil supply chains to reduce deforestation and enable sustainable development. Since its inception in 2017, the Good Growth Partnership has brought together a growing coalition of committed changemakers to achieve greater results throughout its focal commodity supply chains […]
World Heritage Sites are recognised for their unparalleled beauty, global significance and/or biological diversity and the important economic, social and environmental benefits they provide to people. They are a source of inspiration and contribute to human well-being. However, almost half of all natural World Heritage Sites across the globe are threatened by industrial activities and […]
A new report from UNEP FI and the PRI launched in New York on Monday 21 October 2019 at an investor roundtable. This latest report, which affirms that fiduciary duty requires the incorporation of environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes, is the final installment of the four-year Fiduciary Duty […]
Banks, investors, insurers and regulators are increasingly analyzing and adapting their financial strategies taking into account the risks and opportunities presented by the clean energy transition. Investments in renewable energy are currently a standard practice for most financial institutions. Investments in energy efficiency are also growing, yet their transaction size is small in comparison. Nevertheless, […]
UNEP Finance Initiative’s Annual Overview provides a summary of our work from July 2018 to June 2019. Read about key initiatives, events and training programmes that help banks, insurers, and investors embed sustainability into their daily business. Explore how your organisation can get involved with UNEP FI’s work. Download here.
UNEP FI partnered with Climate Finance Advisors to deliver this report to the Global Commission on Adaptation. It identifies the main barriers in the financial system to accelerated investment in adaptation-related programmes and projects and proposes six sets of recommendations to unlock the financing of adaptation programmes. Even if we reduce our greenhouse gas emissions […]
The Principles for Responsible Banking provide the much-needed framework for the sustainable banking system of the future – and enable the banking industry to demonstrate how it makes a positive contribution to society. They have been developed by a core group of 30 banks from five countries, and are designed to guide any bank – […]
A new joint report by UNEP FI, PRI and SynTao Green Finance, launched in Shanghai on June 5, 2019, provides recommendations for China’s ESG disclosure framework, prepared by its financial regulators. This report is a follow-up from the Investor Duties and ESG Integration in China, and part of the Fiduciary Duty in the […]
Twenty institutional investors from eleven countries, convened by UNEP FI and supported by Carbon Delta, have worked throughout 2018–2019 to analyse, evaluate, and test, state-of-the-art methodologies to enable 1.5°C, 2°C, and 3°C scenario-based analysis of their portfolios in line with the recommendations of the FSB’s Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). The outputs and […]
The report, ‘Natural Capital Credit Risk Assessment in Agricultural Lending’ is a new template that enables financial institutions to conduct natural capital credit risk assessment across different agricultural sectors and geographies, taking into account factors such as water availability, use and quality; soil health; biodiversity; energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. The new sector-specific guide […]
In late 2018, a global survey was conducted to better understand how the attitudes, strategies, and practices of real estate investors, and fund and asset managers are incorporating Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) criteria, and the degree to which they may need to strengthen their commitments so that their portfolios are aligned with the objectives of the Paris Agreement. More than […]
Pirate fishing—also known as illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing—exposes insurers to legal, financial and reputational risks, but also puts food security and jobs in danger while destroying marine habitats and ocean life. Financially, the colossal cost of illegal fishing on the global economy is estimated to be between USD 10 billion and 23.5 billion […]
The first guidance designed for the global insurance industry to integrate sustainability into industrial and commercial business has launched for public consultation. The guide “Underwriting environmental, social and governance risks in non-life insurance business” will help non-life insurers manage environmental, social and governance risks in insurance underwriting—the core process of evaluating, defining and pricing insurance risks. […]
The UNEP FI Property Working Group, in collaboration with RICS, PRI, and members of the Global Investor Coalition on Climate Change, have produced a practical, action-oriented framework to accelerate a new financing paradigm for the delivery of the global SDGs. The 25 leading institutional investors and asset managers of the UNEP FI Property Working Group […]
The report, ‘Integrating Natural Capital in Risk Assessments’ is a step-by-step guide to help financial institutions conduct a rapid natural capital risk assessment. The guide has already been piloted by five banks, and complements the recently launched ENCORE tool (Exploring Natural Capital Opportunities, Risks and Exposure), which enables financial institutions to understand and assess their exposure to natural capital risks. The guide helps banks […]