1. Sala de redação
  2. UBP supports Building Bridges 2022
Menu
Empresariais 29.09.2022

UBP supports Building Bridges 2022

UBP supports Building Bridges 2022

UBP once again supported Building Bridges, Switzerland’s leading sustainable finance conference, organised by Sustainable Finance Geneva (SFG) in collaboration with Swiss Sustainable Finance (SSF).


Taking place in Geneva, Switzerland from 3-6 October, the conference featured over 65 events on key sustainable finance topics and a networking village to strengthen collaboration among all relevant actors in this transition.

Featuring prominent speakers such as Al Gore (former US Vice President), Paul Polman (former CEO of Unilever) and Emmanuel Faber (former CEO of Danone), as well as representatives of leading Swiss banks, the Swiss government and international organisations, Building Bridges sent a strong message about the financial industry’s responsibilities in supporting the sustainability transition.

UBP panel explores sustainable infrastructure

During the conference, UBP hosted an event entitled “Sustainable infrastructure: new investment opportunities.” Charlotte Dewynter, Head of Infrastructure at UBP, moderated an interactive discussion with energy and transport experts including Isidora Kosta (World Economic Forum), Jesse Scott (Hertie School/DIW Berlin), Anne Hornung-Souku (TPG) and Marc Elliott (UBP).

Listen to a few excerpts from this lively discussion.

Listen and subscribe to our podcasts on these platforms:
spotify.png  apple-podcast.png  Google-podcast.png

The panel highlighted the urgent need to invest in sustainable infrastructure to help achieve global decarbonisation targets, given that the construction and operation of infrastructure is responsible for 79% of global emissions.

Marc Elliott emphasised that huge investments in solutions that enable us to extract, store and move clean energy around, as well as in energy-efficiency measures such as building insulation, are key for decarbonising our economy. He stressed that the current energy crisis has heightened the urgency of accelerating this transition, in an attempt to strengthen energy security and independence.

"Energy transition has moved from a long-term goal to a near-term imperative."

Marc Elliott, energy transition investment specialist

You can watch the replay of the panel discussion here.

Energy transition in the spotlight

In the run-up to Building Bridges, Marc Elliott took part in a webinar organised by Building Bridges entitled “Financing a secure and clean energy system”.

Speaking alongside peers from Credit Suisse, Lombard Odier and Zürcher Kantonalbank, Marc highlighted that the current energy crisis is clearly strengthening the case for renewables as a more secure, more independent and often cheaper alternative to imported fossil fuels.

However, he also warned that the path to renewables is not a linear one. As governments grapple with the challenge of potential energy shortages in the immediate future, there is a risk of locking in inefficient fossil-fuel infrastructure and power generation for longer than necessary.

Marc identified three important tasks to accelerate the transition to renewables: scaling up supply chains, reducing red tape and dealing with the rate-hike cycle.

In his closing remarks, he stressed the financial sector’s role in facilitating the large-scale switch to renewables, and highlighted the important role of industry in pushing governments to create the right policy framework for this to happen.

Nature moves centre stage

While climate change traditionally dominates sustainable finance debates, nature featured prominently at Building Bridges.

Indeed, climate change and nature are closely intertwined, and several speakers warned that we will not be able to transition to a net-zero economy without addressing biodiversity.

Some speakers argued that regulations such as the EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) play a key role in putting nature on the corporate agenda, by pushing investors to ask questions about biodiversity.

Sustainable finance: a multi-stakeholder effort

We believe that as a financial actor, we have an important role to play in enabling the transition to a sustainable economy. Through our investment decisions, we can support businesses that are providing solutions to tackle global challenges or that are engaged in their own transition, allowing us to have a positive impact while growing wealth over the long term.

"We have an indispensable role to play in tackling environmental and social challenges, by aligning financial flows with the needs of the new economic system."

Guy de Picciotto, UBP's Chief Executive Officer

Accordingly, UBP is continually enhancing its responsible investment expertise and offering. But the scale and complexity of the challenge require the contribution of all sectors of society, including the finance industry, companies, start-ups, governments, the UN and other international organisations, NGOs, academia and asset owners.

UBP was therefore pleased to support this four-day event as it offered a unique opportunity for cross-sector collaboration and knowledge exchange on issues ranging from climate change, energy transition and biodiversity, to sustainable finance regulations and the role of data.


UBP's experts at Building Bridges

Charlotte Dewynter Charlotte Dewynter
Head of Infrastructure - Private Markets Group
VER PERFIL LINKEDIN
Marc Elliott Marc Elliott
Energy Transition Specialist
VER PERFIL LINKEDIN
Expertise

Ações globais

Invista em empresas com uma capacidade de criação de valor superior e sustentável


Further reading

Empresariais 03.11.2023

Third UBP Next Gen Academy a success

The UBP Next Generation Academy – which recently took place again, four years after the previous edition, partly in Paris and partly in Geneva – brought together an eclectic and multicultural group of young people with a lot to share and a keen interest in learning from the course and from each other.

Empresariais 24.10.2023

“Let’s Discuss Nature with Climate: Engagement Guide” published

In October, the Cambridge Institute of Sustainability Leadership (CISL) published a landmark report, “Let’s Discuss Nature with Climate: Engagement Guide”, which gives detailed guidance to banks and investment managers about how to bring nature into their engagement with clients and investee companies.

Empresariais 10.10.2023

Building Bridges 2023: Momentum grows for sustainable finance transition

From 2-5 October, Building Bridges, co-hosted by Sustainable Finance Geneva (SFG) and Swiss Sustainable Finance (SSF), attracted a record-breaking 2600 participants from banks, insurance companies, big corporations, governments, international organisations, NGOs and academia for more than 70 plenaries, discussions, and workshops.