Learn how to follow reputable sources, join online communities, attend events and courses, experiment with tools and frameworks, and engage with stakeholders to keep up with emerging trends in green finance.

Do your own due diligence to the extend possible! It's good to tap into available industry resources for initial intelligence gathering. However, green finance is an evolving trend in a relatively new sector that yet to stand the test of time. With an increasing number of greenwashing cases and false advertisement, caution and good judgment are highly recommended. As a company, you might want to invest time and effort into developing your own framework to establish assessment criteria for green financing.

How do you keep up with emerging trends in green finance?

Green finance is the practice of aligning financial flows and investments with environmental and social goals, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions, promoting renewable energy, and enhancing biodiversity. As the demand for green finance grows, so does the need for staying updated on the latest trends, innovations, and opportunities in this field. In this article, you will learn some practical tips on how to keep up with emerging trends in green finance and boost your corporate sustainability skills.

1 Follow reputable sources

One of the easiest ways to keep up with emerging trends in green finance is to follow reputable sources of information, such as industry associations, research institutes, media outlets, and thought leaders. For example, you can subscribe to newsletters, podcasts, webinars, and reports from organizations such as the Green Finance Institute, the Climate Bonds Initiative, the Global Green Finance Index, and the Sustainable Finance Network. You can also follow influential experts, such as Mark Carney, Sean Kidney, and Tariq Fancy, on social media platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter.

Add your perspective

Tahmina Day, MBA, CERP

Sustainability Leader | Risk Strategist | Head of ESG
Report contribution
Do your own due diligence to the extend possible! It's good to tap into available industry resources for initial intelligence gathering. However, green finance is an evolving trend in a relatively new sector that yet to stand the test of time. With an increasing number of greenwashing cases and false advertisement, caution and good judgment are highly recommended. As a company, you might want to invest time and effort into developing your own framework to establish assessment criteria for green financing.

Like

2 Join online communities

Another way to keep up with emerging trends in green finance is to join online communities where you can interact with other professionals, learn from their insights, and share your own experiences. For example, you can join LinkedIn groups, such as Green Finance Professionals, Green Bonds, and Sustainable Finance Forum, where you can find relevant discussions, articles, events, and job opportunities. You can also join platforms, such as GreenBiz, Climate Action, and ImpactAlpha, where you can access curated content, network with peers, and participate in online events.

Add your perspective

3 Attend events and courses

A third way to keep up with emerging trends in green finance is to attend events and courses that can help you expand your knowledge, skills, and network. For example, you can attend conferences, workshops, seminars, and webinars that cover topics such as green bonds, green loans, green taxonomy, and green recovery. You can also enroll in courses, such as the Green Finance Certificate, the Sustainable Finance Professional Certificate, and the Green Finance Foundation Course, that can provide you with a comprehensive overview of the principles, concepts, and practices of green finance.

Add your perspective

4 Experiment with tools and frameworks

A fourth way to keep up with emerging trends in green finance is to experiment with tools and frameworks that can help you apply your learning to your own projects and initiatives. For example, you can use tools, such as the Green Finance Guide, the Green Bond Principles, the Green Loan Principles, and the EU Taxonomy, that can help you design, implement, and report on green finance activities. You can also use frameworks, such as the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), and the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB), that can help you assess, disclose, and manage your environmental and social risks and opportunities.

Add your perspective

Nitai Utkarsh

Single Family Office Leader | CFA | IIMK | IIT (BHU)
Report contribution
Established tools and frameworks may be a good starting or reference point for sure but engaging too deeply or relying too much on these frameworks for a relatively nascent space like green finance may be detrimental. It's important to align your green goals with your investment objectives and since both of these vary significantly from one entity to another, indigenous frameworks and tools may be needed to do justice to the execution. Once the framework aligning green and investment objectives is ready, investment opportunities need to be carefully parsed through the same to determine suitability. Merely passing one of the criteria and not scoring well on the other may lead to the obvious traps of greenwashing or non-aligned investments.

Like

5 Engage with stakeholders

A fifth way to keep up with emerging trends in green finance is to engage with stakeholders that can influence or be influenced by your green finance decisions and actions. For example, you can engage with regulators, policymakers, investors, customers, suppliers, employees, and civil society groups that can provide you with feedback, guidance, support, or pressure on your green finance performance. You can also engage with peers, partners, competitors, and mentors that can inspire, challenge, collaborate, or advise you on your green finance journey.

Add your perspective

Alasdair Grainger ChMC

Net Zero Managing Director @ Grant Thornton UK LLP
(edited)
Report contribution
Make sure you reach out to civil servants - either in your network or beyond. Civil servants often get told by Ministers to seek insight from industry - but they can struggle to find people to speak to beyond the usual suspects (ie trade associations). I've seen from the inside how well timed advice can alter the course of policy development for the better. Naturally - not all consultations take this path but be bold and if you think you have a helpful persective use Linkedin to reach out to the relevent civil service team.

Like

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

Add your perspective

Rory Martin

Director, Climate Scenario Anlaysis
Report contribution
I think the thing missing from the above options is developing a network that can support you and your organisation on their sustainable finance journey. I've found that there's no single source of truth to sustainable finance given its rapid emergence and, in addition to the activities listed above, engaging with those on a similar journey, both inside and out of your direct industry, can provide invaluable insights on what you might be doing well, what you might be able to improve upon, and potentially where your blind spots are

Like

How do you keep up with emerging trends in green finance?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Follow reputable sources

2 Join online communities

3 Attend events and courses

4 Experiment with tools and frameworks

5 Engage with stakeholders

6 Here’s what else to consider

Sustainability

Rate this article

Thanks for your feedback

More articles on Sustainability

More relevant reading

How do you keep up with emerging trends in green finance?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Follow reputable sources

2 Join online communities

3 Attend events and courses

4 Experiment with tools and frameworks

5 Engage with stakeholders

6 Here’s what else to consider

Sustainability

Rate this article

Thanks for your feedback

Explore Other Skills