Sustainable Finance Posts

A member of security walks outside the venue for the COP29

Sustainable Finance Blog post | 16.12.2024

Climate policy in times of crisis

On 23 November, the 29th UN Climate Conference came to a close in Baku. In this blog article, our Germanwatch experts report on the difficult negotiations, detail the most important decisions, and draw conclusions on the climate conference in times of crisis.

Banks to the left, trees to the right

Climate finance Sustainable Finance Blog post | 07.11.2024

Assessing projects’ Paris alignment

In 2023, six multilateral development banks have reached their self-imposed deadlines for the alignment of their projects with the Paris Agreement. We have analysed 60 of their projects and present the somewhat sobering findings in our blog post – with recommendations for greater transparency.

Logoteppich

Report | 25.11.2022

EU Commission’s advisory group publishes the first set of sustainability reporting standards

Together with the Alliance for Corporate Transparency and a number of other NGOs and think tanks, Germanwatch has commented on the proposals of the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG) in a press release. Germanwatch welcomes the adoption of the EU Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), which EFRAG submitted to the European Commission this week. Although the ambition of the standards remains limited in some areas, they represent a significant improvement for companies and users of sustainability information and address the biggest issues in the quality and reliability of corporate reporting. Please find the press release below:

Sustainable Finance Blog post | 23.11.2022

A common framework is needed to track progress towards climate goals

A ‘race to the top’ or global crawl? Despite global climate negotiations at COP27 and the G20 inching far too slowly towards the financial transformations we need to tackle climate change, country-level progress is being made. A common framework would help track that progress.

Joint statement new EU Corporate Sustainable Reporting Directive

Report | 21.04.2021

EU Commission presents proposal for new EU Corporate Sustainable Reporting Directive

On 21 April 2021, the European Commission published its proposal for a new EU Corporate Sustainable Reporting Directive (CSRD). In a joint public statement, Germanwatch and other NGOs associated with the Alliance for Corporate Transparency welcome many aspects of the proposal, including the development of mandatory sector-specific EU sustainability reporting standards.

Sustainable Finance Blog post | 25.03.2021

Sustainable Finance as a transformation boost

For a year and a half, representatives from the real economy, the financial sector, academia and civil society fought hard to reach an agreement on how Germany could become a prime hub for sustainable finance . On February 25, the final report of the German government's Sustainable Finance Advisory Council (SFB) was published, with ambitious recommendations on how to make the financial market more sustainable: Shifting the Trillions - A Sustainable Financial System to facilitate the Great Transformation. It is now the government's turn to translate the recommendations into an effective strategy and initiate the first legislative changes before the end of this legislative term.

Blogpost

Corporate Accountability Sustainable Finance Blog post | 28.02.2020

EU study and legal opinion of German campaign underline need for legislation on human rights due diligence

Claudia Saller (ECCJ), Julia Otten & Johanna Kusch on why the German government should give the mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence agenda a real push, both at home and in Brussels.

Bank of England 1920 addition

EU climate policy and carbon pricing Sustainable Finance Blog post | 15.04.2019

"Green Finance" despite Brexit

The year 2019 will be key for future climate policy in Germany and Europe. Finance plays a key role in improving climate protection and sustainable growth.To this end, Germany should learn from pioneering countries for “Green Finance”.

Sustainable Finance Blog post | 21.11.2016

Dasselbe in Grün?

Globally, green investments are on the rise. Even the G20 embarked on a mission to harness the finance sector’s potential in support of a global shift to sustainable and low-carbon economies. On December 1st, Germany takes over the G20 presidency from China. What steps can the German presidency take to foster global finance that is more geared towards the needs of sustainable, climate-friendly development?