The EU is currently developing rules for sustainable investment. Through guiding capital flows, it aims to support sustainable economic sectors and production processes. The EU's goal is a climate neutral economy by 2050. The fund industry, as an important financial intermediary, thus has a key role to play and is happy to play it. As early as 2012, the German fund association BVI introduced 'Guidelines for Responsible Investing'.
However, to help the EU meet its ambitious climate change target, asset managers need to obtain the relevant data from companies for their stock selection, preferably from all companies worldwide. What asset managers do not need are rigid guidelines that mean that investors are no longer free to decide what they want to invest in. This would prevent an intensive debate on the sustainability of the companies in which investments are to be made and would replace it with a regulatory box ticking exercise. Ultimately, this would mean that the transition to more sustainable investments would not be dynamic and lose momentum.
News
Sustainability
11/2/2022
Snapshot Sustainability
The volume of investment funds with sustainability features held by German investors grew significantly in the fourth quarter of 2021 again.
BVI’s position with regard to the consultation paper issued by the CFA Institute on the development of ESG disclosure standards for investment products
BVI’s comments on the draft Commission Delegated Regulation amending the Level 2 provision to MiFID II and IDD as regards the integration of sustainability factors, risks and preferences
BVI’s suggestions for the Commission Delegated Regulation on a climate change mitigation and adaptation taxonomy Response to the EU consultation on the inception impact assessment
BVI’s response to the Consultation Paper “On integrating sustainability risks and factors in MiFID II” published by ESMA on 19 December 2018 (ESMA35-43-1210)
European Commission’s Sustainable Finance Initiative – Establishment of a framework to facilitate sustainable investment:
Proposal to amend Regulation (EU) 2016/1011 on low carbon benchmarks and positive carbon impact benchmarks