Sustainable Finance

Sustainable finance integrates environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors into financial decision-making to support long-term economic growth while protecting the planet and society. It includes regulations like SFDR, the EU Taxonomy, and green bonds, guiding investors, companies, and financial institutions toward responsible investments. Whether you're navigating compliance, securing sustainable funding, or aligning with ESG goals, understanding sustainable finance is key to future-proofing your business.

Legislation

The Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) is an EU regulation aimed at improving transparency in the financial services sector regarding sustainability risks and impacts. It applies to financial market participants and financial advisers, promoting sustainable investment across the EU. Key Objectives: 1/ Transparency on Sustainability Risks -> Requires financial entities to disclose how they integrate sustainability risks into their investment decision-making or advice processes 2/ Product Categorization -> Article 6: Products that do not actively promote sustainability -> Article 8: Products promoting environmental or social characteristics -> Article 9: Products with sustainable investment as their objective 3/ Standardized Reporting -> Entities must report sustainability-related disclosures on their websites, in pre-contractual documents, and in periodic reports, using templates and data points specified by regulatory technical standards (RTS) 4/ Greenwashing Prevention -> Ensures financial products are marketed transparently to prevent misleading claims about their sustainability Alignment with EU Taxonomy: SFDR aligns with the EU Taxonomy Regulation by requiring additional disclosures about whether and to what extent investments contribute to EU-defined environmental objectives. 🔗 EC, ESMA, ESA

The EU Taxonomy Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2020/852) establishes a classification system to identify environmentally sustainable economic activities, aiming to direct investments toward the EU's environmental objectives. It defines six environmental objectives: -> Climate change mitigation -> Climate change adaptation -> Sustainable use and protection of water and marine resources -> Transition to a circular economy -> Pollution prevention and control -> Protection and restoration of biodiversity and ecosystems 1/ EU Taxonomy Regulation (EU) 2020/852 is the Regulation that sets the overall framework and objectives for what constitutes "environmentally sustainable" activities in the EU. 2/ The Delegated Acts are the detailed technical regulations that provide the specific criteria and thresholds for various environmental objectives (climate mitigation, water protection, biodiversity, etc.). These Delegated Acts support the implementation of the Taxonomy Regulation. The EU Taxonomy is an essential part of the EU's sustainable finance framework. It serves as a classification system to define environmentally sustainable economic activities based on science-based criteria. Its primary goals are to help investors, companies, and financial institutions identify and finance projects and activities that align with the EU's environmental objectives, such as climate change mitigation and adaptation, circular economy promotion, and biodiversity protection​ The EU Taxonomy is not a mandatory list for investors to invest in. It does not set mandatory requirements on environmental performance for companies or for financial products. Investors are free to choose what to invest in. However, it is expected that over time, the EU Taxonomy will encourage a transition towards sustainability in order to achieve the EU’s climate and environmental goals. The Taxonomy sets performance thresholds (referred to as ‘technical screening criteria’) for economic activities which: -> make a substantive contribution to one of the above six environmental objectives; -> do no significant harm (DNSH) to the other five, where relevant; -> meet minimum safeguards (e.g., OECD Guidelines on Multinational Enterprises and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights) 🔗 European Commission

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Inspiration

Guide

The Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) is a regulation established by the European Union aimed at enhancing transparency in the financial services sector regarding sustainability-related information. It is part of the EU's broader sustainable finance agenda, which seeks to promote environmentally sustainable investments and tackle climate change.

Key Objectives

  • Transparency: The SFDR improves the disclosure of sustainability risks and impacts related to financial products, assisting investors in making informed choices that consider environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors.
  • Standardization: The regulation aims to harmonize the way sustainability information is reported across the EU, creating a more uniform understanding of sustainable finance.

Case Study

Working with a EU based consultancy to create a tool for the Private equity community who are looking to invest in climate positive technologies. designed to bring clarity and operational data to the complexity across the circular value chain. It is designed to support investors with the deal identification, impact due diligence, monitoring and steering the performance of their investment portfolios.  and assist both investment institutions, and individual portfolio companies to develop and implement their circular strategy. 

My role in working with the CEO to define, design, and test what the tool should do. This included supporting the team to test and market the tool to the PE investor industry, take their feedback and iterate the methodology to create a value proposition that answered an existing gap for PE (Impact) investors. This also included hosting and supporting a series of round tables with key industry stakeholders.

ESG/Sustainability Manager
European Public Real Estate Association (EPRA)
Professional Experience

− Regulatory monitoring and engagement: ▪ Track, analyse, and monitor key European regulations impacting the real estate sector, such as CSRD/ESRS, EU Taxonomy, EPBD, EU ETS 2, SFDR, or TNFD. ▪ Assess the impact of these regulations on EPRA members, ensuring they are well-informed and prepared for the reporting requirements. ▪ Actively engage with regulatory bodies by participating in open consultations and workshops to influence the creation of favourable regulations for the real estate sector (European Commission, EFRAG, ISSB). − Collaboration with industry associations: Foster collaboration with key international and European real estate associations such as CRREM, ULI, RICS, GPA, or REESA, to establish and promote common practices within the sector aimed at improving sustainability standards across the industry. − Member support for EPRA sBPR reporting: Guide EPRA members in the understanding and implementation of EPRA's Sustainability Best Practice Recommendations (sBPR) and overarching sustainability metrics. − Partnerships and educational reports: Collaborate with consulting firms (e.g., KPMG, JLL) to develop sector-specific reports and educational materials, aimed at increasing awareness and knowledge around sustainability topics. − Facilitate information sharing & coordinate activities of the Sustainability Committee (investors & property companies) to support informed decision-making and strategic alignment on key initiatives. − Author of the monthly ESG Newsletter that is sent to sustainability leaders within EPRA membership. − Events: Collaborate in the planning and organization of EPRA ’s sustainability-focused events, including sustainability summits, committees, and webinars. Manage aspects such as speaker selection, agenda structuring, prep calls, promotion plan and overall event execution to ensure impactful, high-quality engagements.

Partner - Sustainable Strategy / Sustainable Finance
FutureWise Partners
Professional Experience

FutureWise Partners is a boutique consulting firm that supports corporates in embedding sustainability into their strategic practices. We focus on five key areas: * Country and Sector Research * Finance: Green finance and financial materiality * Strategy: Prioritisation of actions and setting targets * Supplier Engagement: Assessment and engagement through our signature Academy * Circular Economy and ESRS Reporting Guidance Each company is unique, and our partners draw on their diverse experiences from various roles and regions within the sustainability and business sectors to address the specific needs of our clients. We are operating in the UK, Belgium, Austria and Türkiye.FutureWise Partners is a boutique consulting firm that supports corporates in embedding sustainability into their strategic practices. We focus on five key areas: * Country and Sector Research * Finance: Green finance and financial materiality * Strategy: Prioritisation of actions and setting targets * Supplier Engagement: Assessment and engagement through our signature Academy * Circular Economy and ESRS Reporting Guidance Each company is unique, and our partners draw on their diverse experiences from various roles and regions within the sustainability and business sectors to address the specific needs of our clients. We are operating in the UK, Belgium, Austria and Türkiye.

Lourdes Calderon
Sustainability & ESG Expert in the Real Estate Sector
Belgium, Brussels
As an expert in sustainability and ESG leadership, with a strong foundation in finance and global stock indices, I support real estate companies and funds worldwide. I develop actionable strategies that align investor expectations with regulatory requirements, enabling companies to drive meaningful and sustainable long-term value creation. Since the start of my career, I have been deeply immersed in EU regulations. I began as a consultant at Santander Bank S.A., working on MiFID II and Money Market Statistical Reporting (MMSR). I then joined Kartesia, where I was monitoring two debt portfolios, further strengthening my financial analysis skills. Following this, I moved to EPRA, initially as part of the Indexes & Research team, where we co-managed the FTSE EPRA Nareit Global Real Estate Index, a benchmark with around 500 property companies worldwide. This role required rigorous financial analysis to assess eligibility and provided me with a deep understanding of the sector’s complexities. Building on this foundation, I transitioned into sustainability, focusing on ESG reporting for listed real estate companies. Through my work with the EPRA Sustainability Best Practices Recommendations (sBPR) Guidelines, I developed expertise in ESG metrics aligned with global standards such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), which now serve as a bridge to the sector-agnostic European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). As a result, I have a strong grasp of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and key EU regulations, including the EU Taxonomy, EPBD, and SFDR. Services that I provide (punctual or permanent): 1. Strategic sustainability guidance: Provide tailored advice to integrate sustainability into business strategies by helping companies/funds define their vision and key focus areas while aligning ESG priorities with investor expectations and regulatory requirements. - Analyse current company structure, business model, operations, and goals. - Offer insights into the global and European sustainability landscape, including peer and investor trends. 2. Regulatory compliance: Guide companies through complex regulatory frameworks to ensure compliance while leveraging sustainability to attract investors. - Identify relevant regulations and their impact on operations. - Develop practical roadmaps for compliance. - Connect with service/tools providers for effective execution. - Communicate regulatory updates relevant to the company. - Support in the implementation of the roadmap. - Areas of expertise: CSRD/ESRS, EU Taxonomy, EPBD, SFDR. 3. Best practices: Help companies go beyond compliance by identifying and implementing impactful, investor-oriented market best practices. - Identify the most suitable practices for each company. - Develop action plans to integrate ESG metrics into reporting. - Connect with tools/providers for seamless implementation. - Areas of expertise: internal carbon pricing, green governance. 4. Specific guidance on CSRD/ESRS: Provide targeted support for CSRD/ESRS implementation and reporting: - Assist companies/funds in developing and executing strategies/plans to comply with CSRD requirements. - Provide guidance on designing and updating materiality assessment processes. - Support the reporting of sector-agnostic ESRS. - Communicate regulatory updates (E.g., sector-specific ESRS for real estate, once released). 6. Connecting global Real Estate with European standards and stakeholders: Help companies/funds outside Europe leverage the benefits of aligning with European sustainability standards and gaining visibility in the European market: - Guide companies in understanding and applying European frameworks such as the CSRD/ESRS, EU Taxonomy, EPBD, SFDR even if not obligatory in their region. - Emphasize the strategic advantages of adopting these standards, including improved comparability with European peers, increased investor trust, and alignment with global best practices. - Facilitate meaningful connections with European stakeholders, including investors, asset managers, and regulators, to enhance visibility and foster collaborations. - Provide tailored strategies to position companies on the radar of European investors through reporting, events, and partnerships. 7. Training & capacity building: Equip teams with the skills and knowledge needed to lead sustainability initiatives: - Conduct sessions on ESG trends, compliance, and best practices. - Train executives to communicate sustainability goals effectively. - Provide tools to integrate sustainability across all organizational levels. 8. Investor outreach: Help companies enhance their visibility and build relationships within the investment landscape: - Recommend events and forums for networking with investors and stakeholders. - Identify investors aligned with the company’s ESG goals. - Facilitate connections with key stakeholders, such as asset managers, consultants, and industry leaders. 9. Policy engagement: Support companies in engaging with regulatory developments and consultations: - Provide feedback on consultations from regulatory bodies and industry associations. - Offer guidance on policy trends and implications for the sector. - Facilitate introductions to regulatory bodies or organizations when needed. (Note: Offered as supplementary support). 10. Research & market insights: Deliver tailored research on sustainability trends (regulatory developments, market dynamics, investor behaviour and expectations).
Sandrine Ramboux
Strategy/ ESG/Sustainability consultant, CFA Charterholder, GRI Certified, IFRS® Foundation’s FSA Credential®, 20y in Finance
Austria, Wien
Sandrine is results-driven, pragmatic, and focused on turning ideas into action. With a no-nonsense approach, she combines creativity, deep analytical skills, and leadership to tackle complex challenges in finance and sustainability. While highly structured and strategic, she is also an idealist, believing that change is possible when the right people, ideas, and financial structures come together. Her career started in investment banking and corporate finance, where she spent 20 years structuring funding solutions and advising companies on financial strategy. In recent years, she has shifted her focus toward sustainability, applying her expertise to help companies and financial institutions understand how climate risks translate into financial risks, design financing structures that support sustainability goals, and explore innovative funding models such as blended finance. She holds certifications including the GRI Sustainability Professional and IFRS FSA Credential, reinforcing her expertise in sustainability reporting and financial materiality. At every stage of her career, she has been entrusted with building and leading teams from the ground up—defining their strategy, budget, and operational processes, while ensuring that they deliver real impact. Beyond the technical aspects, she is deeply engaged in leadership and knowledge-sharing networks. She actively participates in global networks that challenge her views and broaden her perspective, including the BMW Foundation Responsible Leaders Network, the Global Diplomacy Lab, and the Robert Bosch Foundation Alumni Network. She is also a member of the European Women on Board.
Nick Harris
Senior Sustainability Expert
United Kingdom, London
Twenty years of sustainability experience both as an advisor in leading consultancies and as a practitioner in-house for large institutions. I help organisations with the regulatory and policy side of ESG as well as sustainability capacity building for organisations. Experience with a range of sectors but particularly financial services.
Renata Kubus, PhD.
Sustainable Finance Expert
Spain, Madrid
Professor in sustainable finance at the Complutense University with ANECA accreditation. Expert evaluator for Horizon Europe (ERA). PhD extraordinary prize by UNED. Research and practice in Sustainability, Innovation Ecosystems & Finance. Founder and Leader of Network for Collective Intelligence Development (CID-N). InnovaCEF 2019 prize for scientific entrepreneurship. More than 15 years of international professional experience in banking and risk sector.

Doconomy's mission is to foster sustainability by providing digital solutions. They offer Åland Index, a cloud-based service for calculating climate impact in financial transactions, and The 2030 Calculator, enhancing product brands' awareness of carbon footprints and enabling consumer-informed choices. Their goal is to empower individuals to contribute to environmental conservation through accessible tools.

Boreal Global Asset Management is a B Corp certified investment company committed to generating value via conscientious investment practices. They place a strong emphasis on both sustainability and financial criteria within their investment approach, striving to deliver optimal results for their clients and the local community while minimizing their environmental footprint.

GENUI is a B Corp certified investment company formed by entrepreneurs and investment experts who prioritize investments that deliver financial gains while also making a positive social and ecological impact. They invest in medium-sized businesses in the German-speaking region and provide these companies with entrepreneurial expertise, a valuable network, and effective governance processes.

Hedgehog Company guides organizations, investors, and developers towards sustainability with a systems-thinking approach and data-driven support. Their threefold strategy—assess, plan, implement—brings clarity to sustainability, making it actionable and achievable. They offer services for SMEs, corporates, and private equity, including product and organizational footprinting and compliance with CSRD and SFDR.

 

FINGREEN AI pioneers AI-driven ESG analytics and reporting, simplifying impact measurement for businesses. With a transparent methodology and affordability in mind, they offer accessible project management solutions. Align private assets with global standards like SFDR and GHG, avoiding greenwashing and promoting accountability.

The intuitive software solution that helps your business measure, manage and report Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) performance. For businesses at every stage of their ESG journey.

KEY ESG’s metric library enables companies and investors to comply with all major ESG frameworks and regulations, and stay up to date as they change. SFDR, CSRD, IFRS, EDCI - you name it, our software caters for it.

Proof.io offers a cutting-edge platform for businesses to drive sustainability decisions. Utilizing real-time social and environmental benchmarks from the largest private company dataset, it provides unparalleled insights. Compare your performance against industry benchmarks and peers, receive automated recommendations for impactful decisions, and access a personalized roadmap for achieving purpose-driven results—all within a single platform.

Proof will support you to: 1. automate metric selection in alignment with leading frameworks including SFDR, GHG Protocol, CSRD, IRIS+, and SDGs, 2. efficiently collect and aggregate data across multiple investments, facilities, or suppliers, 3. easily estimate your Scope 1-3 Greenhouse Gas Emissions, 4. build customized reports to showcase your progress and improvement plans, 5. unlock deep insights from your sustainability data, and 6. join a global community of sustainability leaders.

Sustainova Tips

SFDR ESG Reporting Manual

This document outlines the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) and its ESG reporting requirements for financial market participants like banks, asset managers, and REITs. It explains key concepts such as Principal Adverse Impact (PAI) statements, fund classifications (Article 6, 8, 9), and various reporting obligations. Understanding this document is crucial for compliance and transparency in sustainable finance. If you're involved in financial transactions and investments, this guide will help you navigate SFDR regulations effectively. It also provides practical tips for accurate product labeling and data collection.

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