Publications

Beyond the Horizon: New Tools and Frameworks for Transition Risk Assessments from UNEP FI’s TCFD Banking Programme

Beyond the Horizon: New Tools and Frameworks for Transition Risk Assessments from UNEP FI’s TCFD Banking Programme Thirty-nine global financial institutions from six continents participated in UNEP FI’s second TCFD banking programme. Through this yearlong engagement, the participating banks collaborated with climate risk experts and each other to improve financial assessments of transition risk. In…

Climate Risk Applications: Guidance and Practices

From Disclosure to Action: Applying TCFD principles throughout financial institutions Recent reports from the Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS) and the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) indicate how the financial sector has increasingly recognized climate risk as a financial risk. Financial institutions must respond to the threat of climate change by identifying, assessing,…

Financing Circularity: Demystifying Finance for the Circular Economy

There is an urgent need to transition to economies that embed circularity and are aligned with global sustainable consumption and production goals. Financial institutions have a critical role to play and can take practical steps to finance the transition. UNEP’s report Financing Circularity: Demystifying Finance for the Circular Economy outlines how the financial sector can…

UNEP FI and IIF’s “TCFD Report Playbook”

UNEP FI and the Institute of International Finance (IIF) have developed a TCFD Playbook to serve as a resource for firms at different stages of their TCFD journey, with support from EY. The organisations conducted a joint initiative to assist banks and other financial institutions in their efforts to strengthen climate risk disclosures by convening…

Good Growth Partnership: Year Three Highlights Report

This 3-year progress report provides an update on how the Good Growth Partnership is cultivating sustainability in commodity supply chains, 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. It joins forces with national and regional leaders…

Using hindsight and foresight: Update from the TCFD Pilot Project for Insurers

Using hindsight and foresight: Enhancing the insurance industry’s assessment of climate change futures Over the past eight months, 22 leading insurers and reinsurers from across the globe (“the pilot group”) have been collaborating under the auspices of UN Environment Programme’s Principles for Sustainable Insurance Initiative (PSI) to explore and pilot methodologies that insurers can use towards implementing the recommendations of the Financial…

Charting a New Climate: TCFD Banking Programme Report

Charting a New Climate: State-of-the-art tools and data for banks to assess credit risks and opportunities from physical climate change impacts Charting a New Climate is a report on physical climate risks and opportunities from Phase II of its Task Force for Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) Banking Programme with climate risk advisory and analytics firm,…

Aligning Finance for the Net-Zero Economy: Thought Leadership Series

UNEP FI has partnered with EIT Climate-KIC to develop a series of thought leadership papers that aims to inspire financial actors worldwide to move from risk to alignment, challenge current assumptions around climate alignment and develop ideas and concepts on how alignment can best be achieved. We hope to encourage stakeholders that a proactive climate…

Cómo los bancos incorporan el cambio climático en su gestión de riesgos

This report aims to present the survey results of “How the Banks of Latin America and the Caribbean (in Spanish, ALC) incorporate climate change in their risk management,” which aligns with the first global initiative exploring what regional banks are doing to integrate dimensions of climate change in their strategy and management.

Managing environmental, social and governance risks in non-life insurance business

As risk managers, insurers and investors, the insurance industry plays an important role in promoting economic, social and environmental sustainability—or sustainable development. With the adoption of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Paris Agreement on Climate Change, and Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction in 2015, and the upcoming Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, there is growing pressure and…

Fiduciary Duty in the 21st Century programme: Final Activity Report 2015-2019

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…

UNEP FI Corporate Impact Analysis Tool

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…

UNEP FI Portfolio Impact Analysis Tool for Banks

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…

Changing Course: Real Estate – TCFD pilot project report and investor guide to scenario-based climate risk assessment in Real Estate Portfolios

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…

Unwrapping the risks of plastic pollution to the insurance industry

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…

Year Two Good Growth Partnership Highlights Report

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…

Protecting our World Heritage, insuring a sustainable future

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…

Fiduciary Duty in the 21st Century Final Report

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…

G20 Energy Efficiency Finance and Investment 2019 Stocktake Report

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,…