It is widely recognised that today's financial system does not actively reward long-term thinking. Often, it can actually work against efforts to build a sustainable economy.Our Centre for Sustainable Finance draws on the work of CISL’s leadership groups across the financial system; bringing together our research and education programme on sustainable finance. We work long term with over 50 financial institutions from across five continents. With support from academics and expert practitioners, we develop solutions to challenges firms cannot tackle alone and impact both policy and market practice.Across our leadership groups in insurance, banking and investment, we have developed particular expertise in three key areas of sustainable finance: |
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Risk and resilienceEmbedding resilience to environmental risk in routine financing decisions. |
Positive impactEnabling investors to achieve positive impact against the Sustainable Development Goals. |
InnovationHarnessing the digital revolution to direct capital to sustainable business models. |
Sustainable finance leadership groups |
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ClimateWise (global insurance)ClimateWise comprises 32 leading insurers, reinsurers, brokers and industry service providers who share a commitment to reducing the impact of climate change on society, as well as the insurance industry. |
Banking Environment InitiativeSome of the world’s largest banks working to lead their industry in directing capital towards environmentally and socially sustainable economic development. |
Investment Leaders GroupLeading investment managers and asset owners with over £15 trillion under management working to help shift the investment chain towards responsible, long-term value creation. |
Latest news and thought leadership
Multi-sector collaboration between blue chips, start-ups and banks delivers new model to improve the sustainability of global supply chains without increasing production costs
17 September 2019 – A successful experiment by the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), bringing together Sainsbury's, BNP Paribas, Unilever, Barclays, Standard Chartered and Rabobank, has shown how a new model of blockchain and other data sharing technologies can enhance the sustainability of global supply chains without increasing production costs.
Trado: New technologies to fund fairer, more transparent supply chains
17 September 2019 – There is a growing understanding of the transformative potential of harnessing digital innovation and financial technologies to improve the sustainability of global supply chains. This report details the learnings and methodology of the collaborative project Trado, convened by the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL).
New report indicates locally-owned model of insurance protection helps vulnerable communities recover from natural disasters
21 June 2019 – A new study from the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership has, for the first time, analysed how mutual microinsurance, a community-owned model of insurance, contributes to the recovery outcomes of low income households following a natural disaster.
Mutual microinsurance and the Sustainable Development Goals: An impact assessment following Typhoon Haiyan
June 2019 – This report explores the potential for a community-owned model of insurance (mutual microinsurance) to deliver economic and social benefits aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Working paper finds that better disclosures are needed to assess long-term orientation of investment funds
20 March 2019 – The Investment Leaders Group found that the data necessary to enable institutional and retail investors to assess the long-term orientation of the investment funds is not currently available.
