Featured Pathways

More pathways

The Science of Climate Change

Climate change is no longer a distant threat or just a possibility, it is now a reality for all of us. In this pathway, Kevin Trenberth, a renowned climatologist, delves into the science behind climate change. He first introduces the climate system, its main components and forces.

Tackling the Plastic Crisis

Plastic pollution is by far the biggest threat to our oceans and this remains an incredibly tough problem to solve. Plastic credits could potentially serve as one of the much needed solutions for this crisis.

More pathways

Book a demo

Pricing

Ready to get started?

Plans & Membership

Our Platform

Expert led content

+1,000 expert presented, on-demand video modules

Learning analytics

Keep track of learning progress with our comprehensive data

Interactive learning

Engage with our video hotspots and knowledge check-ins

Testing & certification

Gain CPD / CPE credits and professional certification

Managed learning

Build, scale and manage your organisation’s learning

Integrations

Connect Sustainability Unlocked to your current platform

Featured Content

More featured content

The Scale of the Net Zero Challenge

The price of meeting net zero is estimated to be between $100-150 trillion over the next 30 years. Regardless of this cost, we need to reach net zero before climate change does irreversible damage to the environment and the economy.

ESG, Sustainability and Impact Jargon Buster

ESG, sustainability, impact… they all just mean green, right? Not quite. Despite being used often interchangeably, there are distinct differences between these terms.

More featured content

Book a demo

Pricing

Ready to get started?

Featured Pathways

More pathways

The Science of Climate Change

Climate change is no longer a distant threat or just a possibility, it is now a reality for all of us. In this pathway, Kevin Trenberth, a renowned climatologist, delves into the science behind climate change. He first introduces the climate system, its main components and forces.

Tackling the Plastic Crisis

Plastic pollution is by far the biggest threat to our oceans and this remains an incredibly tough problem to solve. Plastic credits could potentially serve as one of the much needed solutions for this crisis.

More pathways

Book a demo

Pricing

Ready to get started?

Plans & Membership

Our Platform

Expert led content

+1,000 expert presented, on-demand video modules

Learning analytics

Keep track of learning progress with our comprehensive data

Interactive learning

Engage with our video hotspots and knowledge check-ins

Testing & certification

Gain CPD / CPE credits and professional certification

Managed learning

Build, scale and manage your organisation’s learning

Integrations

Connect Sustainability Unlocked to your current platform

Featured Content

More featured content

The Scale of the Net Zero Challenge

The price of meeting net zero is estimated to be between $100-150 trillion over the next 30 years. Regardless of this cost, we need to reach net zero before climate change does irreversible damage to the environment and the economy.

ESG, Sustainability and Impact Jargon Buster

ESG, sustainability, impact… they all just mean green, right? Not quite. Despite being used often interchangeably, there are distinct differences between these terms.

More featured content

Book a demo

Pricing

Ready to get started?

Book a demo

Pricing

Ready to get started?

Green Bond Principles

Green Bond Principles

Stephanie Sfakianos

35 years: Sustainable finance & banking

In the second part of Stephanie's video on Green Finance Markets, she discusses the green bond market and evaluates its impact.

In the second part of Stephanie's video on Green Finance Markets, she discusses the green bond market and evaluates its impact.

Subscribe to watch

Access this and all of the content on our platform by signing up for a 7-day free trial.

Green Bond Principles

8 mins 52 secs

Overview

Green bonds are bonds that finance projects, assets and activities, with clear and demonstrable environmental benefits. In this video, Stephanie evaluates the successes and issues surrounding the green bond market, and provides suggestions for developments. Proposing that the keys to a change in practices will come from the focus on risk and regulatory requirements to disclose.

Key learning objectives:

  • Outline the four pillars of the GBP

  • Understand the ways the green bond market has been successful

  • Identify the key debate points that continue to trouble the green bond market

  • Understand where the developments are going to come from

Subscribe to watch

Access this and all of the content on our platform by signing up for a 7-day free trial.

Summary

What are some forms of green finance?

  • Green Bonds
  • Social and sustainability bonds
  • Sustainably-linked syndicated loans

What are the Green Bond Principles (GBP)?

This was released by a group of 14 banks, early in 2014, and which have since been adopted around the world. The GBP, now supplemented by the Social Bond Principles and Sustainability Bond Guidelines, set out a well-understood voluntary process for issuing bonds which requires demonstrable environmental benefits

What are the four pillars of the GBP?

  1. An issuer must be transparent about the projects, assets or activities to which the proceeds of the bond will be allocated
  2. Disclose the sustainability governance process through which the asset selection is made
  3. Put in place a mechanism for matching the proceeds with projects or assets with equivalent value
  4. Provide annual reporting, at least until such time as the proceeds have been fully allocated

In what ways has the green bond market been successful?

  • Cumulative issuance is close to the $1 trillion mark, with some $325 billion equivalent having been issued in 2019
  • The market is well served by the Green Bond Principles, which bring together an elected group of buy side, sell side and intermediaries to formulate and promote best practice
  • Investor reception has been hugely positive; the transparency underlying project allocation and reporting is a big benefit for investors looking to meet their own commitments to measure and report on the decarbonisation of their portfolios
  • Outstanding's in the sustainable finance market, which includes the newer, but very fast growing green and sustainable loan market, have been growing by $100 billion every 3 to 5 months since January 2018

What are some of the key debating points that continue to trouble the green bond market?

The discussion as to how we define green - for example:

  • Which projects, assets and activities contribute to tackling climate change, and what additional criteria must be applied to measure their contribution?
  • Who is accurately measuring whether transactions are 1.5/2 degree aligned?
  • Who are the agents who can credibly verify that these contributions are indeed being made, and how do we police the market’s policemen, such as credit and extra-financial ratings agencies?
  • How do we ensure that money raised for green purposes is not misappropriated?
  • How do we avoid “greenwashing”?

Where are the developments going to come from?

  • The biggest developments will come from practices. The keys to a change in practices will come from the more focus on risk, and regulatory requirements to disclose. Most of the new reporting obligations have a reasonable lead-in period
  • Investors will play their part too: organisations such as Climate Action 100+, an investor initiative that actively lobbies the world’s largest corporate greenhouse gas emitters to take action on climate change, has progressed
  • Intermediaries in financial services do have a knack for turning practices into products, so perhaps we will see ESG bonds, issued by companies with the best ESG ratings
  • The current attempt to develop a robust and scientifically credible process for the issuance of transition bonds by companies whose trajectory is from “brown” to “less brown”
  • Provide financial incentives to those companies researching and utilising scalable green alternatives

Subscribe to watch

Access this and all of the content on our platform by signing up for a 7-day free trial.

Stephanie Sfakianos

Stephanie Sfakianos

Stephanie's long career in the financial services industry in London culminated around the past seven years in the field of sustainable finance. She has now left the banking industry, but has continued to apply her sustainable finance expertise through her work with ICMA and the International Standards Organisation.

There are no available videos from "Stephanie Sfakianos"