Library | Sustainable Finance Practices
Fixing financial and economic systems
Resources aimed at transforming financial and economic systems to prioritise human well-being, equity, and environmental sustainability. These resources include tools, networks, and guidance on systemic changes such as systems thinking, degrowth, green growth, doughnut economics, decoupling economic growth from environmental degradation, and adhering to limits to growth.
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Taking the carbon out of credit: An integrated approach to removing climate emissions from lending
This report makes a complete case for banks and lending institutions to avoid further damaging of the climate. It provides both justification for why this is an important financial undertaking, and principles for how to go about and do it.
Moving toward gender balance in private equity and venture capital
This report examines the gender gap in the private equity and venture capital industry, specifically in emerging markets. The correlation between gender balance and fund performance is explored. This report puts forward key actions to improve gender balance and examines the benefits of its improvement in leadership teams.
Growth without economic growth
Economic growth is closely correlated to environmental depletion and resource use. This report explores the need to decouple economic growth and resource consumption to achieve the sustainability goals and the European Green Deal. It introduces alternative views to economic growth including circular economics, green growth and doughnut economics.
The missing middles: Segmenting enterprises to better understand their financial needs
Small and growing businesses (SGBs) have significant and positive impact on emerging and frontier markets. This report proposes a new segmentation framework to help service providers, enterprises, donors, limited partners (LPs) and field-building organisations understand and navigate the complex landscape of SGB investment in frontier and emerging markets.
A legal framework for impact: Sustainability impact in investor decision-making
The report examines whether laws within eleven diverse jurisdictions support institutional investors in pursuing sustainability outcomes, while at the same time earning a financial return. It discusses options available to policymakers for legal reform in order to facilitate investing for sustainability impact.
Cutting carbon: What the rush to divest fossil fuels means for emissions reduction and engagement
This report focuses on the decarbonisation of listed equity portfolios in Australia, outlining current investor initiatives and commitments to support decarbonisation and energy transition. The report discusses carbon exposure metrics, company engagement and divestment strategies, and investing in climate solutions.
New nature economy report II: The future of nature and business
This report provides an applicable agenda for businesses to contribute to the development of practical roadmaps that address the most important drivers of nature loss and build a nature-positive future. It is the second part of a three-part New Nature Economy Report series.
The promise of fintech: financial inclusion in the post COVID-19 era
This report uses quantitative and qualitative research to further our understanding of developments in digital financial inclusion driven by fintech, and their macroeconomic effects. It also details the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and discusses the future of fintech’s impacts on financial inclusion.
The economics of biodiversity: The Dasgupta review
The Dasgupta Review analyses the economics of biodiversity. It makes the case for the natural environment as our most precious asset and argues for the need to account for nature in economics.
Bankrolling extinction: The banking sector's role in the global biodiversity crisis
This report explores the contribution of the banking sector to the biodiversity crisis and the destruction of nature as of 2019. The report ranks the 50 largest banks globally based on their financing of unethical operations, finding a large impact on deforestation, ecosystem destruction and overfishing.
Macroeconomic and financial policies for climate change mitigation: A review of the literature
This research is a review of literature on the use of macroeconomic and financial policy tools for mitigating the impact of climate change. The paper explores the effectiveness of fiscal, financial and monetary policy instruments for such mitigation which it considers to be the transition to a low carbon economy.
Investing in the green economy: Sizing the opportunity
This paper emphasises the capacity of the green economy in meeting environmental objectives in decision-making processes. FTSE Russell advocate data as crucial to investors to monitor industry and company-specific contributions to the economy and to assess opportunities in new green products and services.
Healthy competition: Why the safest bet for investors is healthier retail markets and how to get there
This second briefing report explores ShareAction’s Healthy Markets campaign, featuring the UK food retailers most exposed to the childhood obesity agenda. The brief is designed to inform and support investor stewardship and company engagement through an analysis of their disclosure policies and practices for healthy eating.
A banker's guide to transforming finance
This report focuses on the perceived purpose-gap in the banking sector wherein banks are not fulfilling their role to create positive economic, social and environmental outcomes. Filling this gap requires leveraging ‘systemic intrapreneurs’ within organisations to holistically shift banking strategy.
Strengthening financial resilience among rural and refugee communities in Rwanda
United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) has improved financial inclusion, through implementing its Expanding Financial Access and Digital and Financial Literacy (REFAD) program in Rwanda, and by working with local partners to help cater digital financial solutions and improve financial literacy for rural and refugee communities.
Governing the commons: The evolution of institutions for collective action
Elinor Ostrom examines the management of common-pool resources such as rivers, bridges and grazing areas. Ostrom discusses the ‘tragedy of the commons’ and environmental, economic and social threats to common-pool resources. Ostrom applies political and economic theory and policy literature to discuss potential solutions and challenge conventional approaches.
