The financial sector must be transparent about how it is becoming more sustainable and about the dilemmas it faces. This will help the sector gain public confidence and promote greening in the financial sector. That is the aim of the Working Group on Communication Sustainability.
The financial sector is developing more and more initiatives aimed at increasing sustainability. There are two challenges in communicating about this. The general public is unaware of the role of the financial sector in increasing sustainability. Also, trust in the financial sector is not very high. As a result, public support for financial institutions' sustainability initiatives cannot be taken for granted. In addition, non-governmental organisations and the media keeping a watchful eye.
The working group’s objective is for the financial sector to how it increases sustainability and be open about the dilemmas and considerations involved. This will help the sector gain public confidence and promote greening in the financial sector. Accordingly, the working group focuses on two aspects:
In 2021, the Working Group on Sustainability Communication hosted two online seminars. One was about supervision and the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation, i.e. the European rules that should improve transparency in the market for sustainable investments and prevent greenwashing, and the supervision thereof. The other dealt with sustainability in practice, highlighting a case and initiating a conversation with investors. In 2020, a webinar was held that addressed the following topics: content and obligations in the Dutch climate agreement, how does the outside world view the financial sector and sustainability, and sustainability and communication. In addition, the working group advised the Working Group on Climate Risk and the Working Group on Biodiversity on their publications.
The Working Group on Sustainability Communication includes communication experts from the financial sector who advise on communication in relation to sustainability. Its members are representatives of a.s.r., NN Group, TKP Pensioen, ABN AMRO, ING, BlackRock and DNB. It is chaired by Boudewijn van Uden of a.s.r.
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