Five questions on our new sustainability figures
DNB, together with the ECB and other central banks, is publishing new sustainability figures for the financial sector this week. Why, in fact? And what exactly are we measuring? See the Q&As below.
Green economy
We need a thriving economy that does not damage the environment. That is not the case now. Take climate change and the loss of biodiversity. That is why we need to take action and make changes. If we want to be successful, we need to work together on a worldwide scale and see how we can meet the costs. The financial sector plays a major role, as do central banks and governments. At De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) sustainability is high on the agenda. We advise the government and include sustainability in our supervision, our investments and our business operations. And we bring parties together to come up with solutions. Time is running out, because the longer we wait, the greater the uncertainty and the likelihood of economic shocks.
News items
Smaller carbon footprint from large investors’ equity portfolios
The equity portfolios of Dutch pension funds and insurers have become significantly “greener” over the 2017-2020 period. This is mainly because investee companies have emitted less carbon over that period, according to an analysis by De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB).
Banks at risk due to slow pace of climate transition by companies
Companies in carbon-intensive sectors to which banks lend are not switching to sustainable alternatives quickly enough to meet the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. This has emerged from an analysis conducted by DNB.