International Sustainable Finance Centre (ISFC)

This week, ISFC team members attended a series of different events and closed door discussions. Our Chief Communications Officer Martina Peachment Brehmer and our COO, Julian Toth attended Změna k lepšímu’s Vyspělé Česko conference, focused on decarbonisation, circularity, and innovation, underscoring the essential role of collaborative efforts in driving systemic change in the Czech Republic. Great work, Zmena and 2. ekonomická transformace teams, Lukas Rolf, Jenda Perla and Petr Lebeda! 👉 Jan Dusík, Deputy Director-General for Climate Action, outlined the coming European Commission’s commitment to balance competitiveness with cooperation, emphasizing accessible financial instruments and the "Do No Significant Harm" principle in decarbonisation investments. 👉 Eva Bucova of ING Czech Republic shared insights on the barriers to sustainability leadership, including gaps in information and a focus on short-term KPIs. 👉 Panels with experts like Lukas Ferkl from EnviTrail highlighted how even incremental progress in heavy industries can collectively advance Green Deal targets. These diverse perspectives reinforce the event’s central message: systemic change is a joint effort. We also attended ECOMONDO - ITALIAN EXHIBITION GROUP big expo in Rimini, where our CEO Linda Zeilina-Cross spoke on a panel session with Fabrizio Palmucci, Mirco Calzolari from SACE and Marina Sabinina, CESGA® from A2A - the discussion focused on the changes in the banking industry (conditions and assessment of loans because of the reporting needs created by CSRD and due to the need for improved Green Asset Ratios or GAR), and the role and potential of green bonds for adaptation for SMEs. The session was organised by Forum per la Finanza Sostenibile (ItaSIF), with excellent hosting by Francesco Bicciato and Isabel Reuss. We also delivered a workshop at the Czech National Bank on sustainable finance (more technical aspects linked to SFDR) and joined a session organised by Florence School of Banking & Finance & School of Transnational Governance at the European University Institute for representatives from the European supervisory authorities, focused on carbon markets and the EU ETS. Next - COP29 Azerbaijan! #sustainability #sustainablefinance #finance #esg #eutaxonomy #sfdr #csrd #circulareconomy #circularity #investing #carbonmarkets #climate #climatechange

ISFC is proud to announce the completion of an important project on the application of DNSH principle in the Czech Republic, delivered together with our lead partner Trinomics 🌍 Thanks to the smooth collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Regional Development, Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic, and the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic, and with support from DG Reform, we've developed a comprehensive set of tools and methodologies to support the effective application of the DNSH principle. 🔍 Project Purpose: this initiative provides essential guidance for integrating the DNSH principle within the Czech national context, streamlining processes and providing clarity on DNSH compliance for both public and private projects seeking funding from European funds. The ultimate goal is to support sustainable investments and accelerate capital flows into environmentally responsible initiatives. 📄 Final Outputs: We’re excited to share the official methodology and guidance documents, recently published by the Czech Government. These resources are available here: https://lnkd.in/dqbAY7pD We hope these tools will provide a robust framework for the DNSH application process and accelerate the capital flows into the projects with no significant harm to the local environment. #sustainabledevelopment #DNSH #environmentalimpact #technicalsupport #ISFC #Trinomics

What topics will be heating up in 2025? What are the most important publications in the last quarter of 2024? What to read or follow to stay on top of market developments? Read the latest edition of our newsletter - we have collected all of the most important publications, updates, news stories, and other important materials for you, all in one place. Follow us and let us know what more you'd like to hear about in the future! #sustainability #sustainablefinance #finance #esg #eutaxonomy #taxonomy #europe #biodiversity #newsletter

Last week’s EU Taxonomy course was a blast! It was inspiring to spend two days with such a committed and insightful group of practitioners, and to explore the workings of the EU Taxonomy and its role in the reporting ecosystem. From calculating CapEx and OpEx, to looking at latest EU Taxonomy data, we tried to dig deep and identify the best approaches for compliance and documentation, and the interpretations of some parts of the regulation. Thank you to everyone who contributed their insights and ideas - Ceren SOLAK YILMAZ, Jarmila Bilikova, Karen Incignieri, Federica Rizzo, Simona Danaj, Adriana Diľová, Tuan Son Tran, Helena Kutílek Zavázalová, Tomas Janeba, Nika Urbach, Jakub Kral, Alena Jandova, Chirag Girdhar. On that note, we’re excited to continue this journey in January 2025 with our Executive Course on Sustainable Finance. Starting with an online session on 7 January 2025 and moving to in-person in Prague from 27–29 January, this immersive program will focus on practical implementation of EU regulations within the CEE region. Just like with the EU Taxonomy course, the attendance will be in person and limited to 15 participants max. 📈 Whether you're in finance, corporate strategy, ESG, or policymaking, this is a great opportunity to explore best practices, have arguments with your peers and some people involved in the policy development, and to expand your network of sustainable finance experts (who you can pester later with questions about some more technical parts of the regulatory framework). 🔗 Early Bird Registration is open until 15 November - secure your spot here: https://lnkd.in/ermGWSGk #SustainableFinance #ESG #FinanceForImpact #EUTaxonomy #ISFCEducation

Yesterday, RICS hosted its annual RICS Built Environment European Summit in Bilbao, starting with an gala dinner at the Guggenheim museum. We at International Sustainable Finance Centre (ISFC) were the event's knowledge partners! The event gathered 300 executives, experts and practitioners from finance, real estate, construction industry, and finance. So what were the main insights? 👉 There is more work on sustainability integration in real estate than ever before, but there are issues due to lack of incentives to build sustainable buildings (public policies or financing, lack of preferential treatment of green projects by banks) 👉 Retrofitting is an ever bigger challenge than building new sustainable buildings - the capital needs are huge, and better one stop shop solutions need to be developed by all parties so that the complexity is reduced for the end user (the resident who wants to renovate their property) 👉 ESG risks are not integrated in credit risk assessment, despite banks collecting data and having a much better understanding of the problematic parts of their portfolios 👉 There are great examples of urban redevelopment, so best practice sharing should be improved and scaled up, with public private partnerships that start with design and conceptualisation, that leads to sustainable and inclusive projects. A HUGE thanks to the fantastic team at RICS: Gina Adela Ding who led on the development of the programme and the whole event, and the inspirational speeches and intellectual support from Susanne Eickermann-Riepe FRICS, Tina Paillet, FRICS, Iwan van Bilsen, Anna Orcsik and Joël Scherrenberg MBA MRICS REV RT - and all the others at RICS! We cannot wait for next year's event in beautiful Budapest, with the great hosting by Norbert Schőmer and Adam Banai, PhD. MRICS from Magyar Nemzeti Bank! #BEES24 #realestate #climatechange #sustainability #sustainablefinance #finance #banking #business #builtenvironment

📅 We are getting ready for our speciliazed executive course—the EU Taxonomy Masterclass, taking place in Prague on 24-25 October already!   Grounded in the latest research and driven by practical insights, this course offers a comprehensive overview of the EU Taxonomy framework, with a focus on the CEE perspective. Participants will not only learn from top-level experts from the EU Sustainable Finance platform but also engage in discussions with fellow practitioners from diverse sectors like construction, insurance, energy, software, and finance.   ✨The registration closes on Friday, 18 October and we have one last spot to fill - who's going to take it?   🔗 Register here: https://lnkd.in/eijGqEyG #SustainableFinance #ESG #FinanceForImpact #EUTaxonomy #ISFCEducation

After the successful first edition, we are thrilled to announce that nominations for the 2025 CEE Sustainability Leadership Awards are now officially open! 🎉 The CEE Sustainability Leadership Awards celebrates individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership in promoting sustainability - whether in climate, environmental, social, or ecological areas. Advocacy for sustainability requires resilience, perseverance, energy, and passion, and we are committed to recognizing those who drive impactful change, new practices, and meaningful projects. We believe that one person's dedication can spark significant change, and we are committed to celebrating those who lead impactful projects. 🌱 This is also a great opportunity to acknowledge our 2024 Award winners: 🏆 CEE Sustainability Leader: Martin Hojsik, Vice President European Parliament 🏆 CEE Leader in Sustainable Investing: Magdalena Radova, Impact & Investment Manager, Tilia Impact Ventures 🏆 CEE Leader in Sustainable Banking: Eva Bucova, Country Manager ING Czechia 🏆 CEE Leader in Sustainable Business: Marián Hlavačka, CEO @CORWIN a.s. 🏆 CEE Leader in Sustainable Finance Policy: Martin Špolc, Head of Unit, DG FISMA, European Commission (from October newly appointed as Head of Unit - Adaptation & resilience to climate change in @DG CLIMA at the European Commission 🏆 Czech Sustainable Policy Leader: Richard Juřík, Head of Unit of Economic Analysis, Department of Environmental Policy and Sustainable Development, Ministry of Environment, Czechia 📅 Nominations are open until 14 March 2025. The award winners will be celebrated at the CEE Sustainable Finance Summit 19-21 May 2025 in Prague. Learn more about the award categories and how to nominate here: https://lnkd.in/dAbhZNP6 Let’s continue to drive positive change and build a greener, more sustainable future together! #CEESustainabilityAwards #ceesummit2025 #Leadershipawards #sustainability #sustainablefinance #sustainablebanking #sustainableinvesting #finance #awards #esg #investing

🔍 Can we harmonise and improve the interoperability of different sustainability performance measurements, reporting, and standards? 🎙 Today and tomorrow (3 and 4 October) RSFIA Symposium takes place in Dubrovnik, exploring the linkages between sustainable finance and environmental procedures. The event is a gathering of experts and practitioners from sustainable finance (people focused on EU taxonomy and CSRD), and experts on environmental and social impact assessment - diving deeper into the practices and technical details when it comes to the implementation of technical screening criteria and impact assessment data. 👉 Check out the agenda:https://lnkd.in/etf5m-QU International Sustainable Finance Centre (ISFC) is a proud partner of RSFIA Symposium, hosted by HUSZPO - Hrvatska udruga stručnjaka zaštite prirode i okoliša in cooperation with UNDP, European Investment Bank (EIB), The World Bank, and the International Association for Impact Assessment. 👏 A special thanks goes to Jiri Dusik from UNDP, a driving force behind the conceptualisation of the agenda and the delivery of the event, along with Nenad Mikulic, Maja Celinšćak and Mario Mesarić from HUZSPO for organisation and excellent hosting, as well as Adina Manuela Relicovschi from EIB and Alkadevi Morarji Patel from WB for their leadership in bringing together different stakeholders and busting policy silos. A thank you to the great speakers and experts (list not exhaustive): Alan Bond, Robert Adamczyk, Tomas Janeba, Martin Smutny, Iakovos Dimitriou, Eva Neudertová, Kevin Flowers, Romina Aramburu, Judita Cuculić Župa, Thomas Fischer, Vedrana Likan, EMBA, MRICS, Miguel Coutinho, Hanane El Hayek, Laura A., Petra Remeta, Alessandro d'Eri, Gary Baker, CFA, Sladjana Ćosić, Lucy Fitzgeorge-Parker, Jurei Yada, Julian Toth and Linda Zeilina-Cross The conclusions of the event will be made available next week! #sustainability #sustainablefinance #finance #esg #eutaxonomy #taxonomy #investing #eia #csrd #climatechange

Only 2 days to go: Dubrovnik Symposium 2024 ! Join us at the symposium where we will explore the essential linkages between the EU Taxonomy, ESG rating systems, Corporate Sustainability Reporting, and more, understanding how they tie into environmental impact assessments and public sector decision-making. Our CEO, Linda Zeilina-Cross and our COO, Julian Toth, will be sharing insights on sustainable finance and environmental procedures, among other distinguished speakers such as Alessandro d'Eri, Senior policy officer at European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), Petra Remeta, Senior consultant in Trinomics, and Lucy Fitzgeorge-Parker from Responsible Investor. 🌿 Mission: To inspire, connect, and drive positive change in sustainability 📆 Date: 3 - 4 October 2024 Programme ➡️ https://lnkd.in/dpi352mx Speakers ➡️ https://lnkd.in/e9f9BXqZ Registration ➡️ https://lnkd.in/d9kQ2Re3 #SustainableFinance #ESG #DubrovnikSymposium2024 #Symposium2024

📢 OUR EXECUTIVE COURSE ON SUSTAINABLE FINANCE IS OPEN! We are excited to launch our first comprehensive Sustainable Finance: Executive Course, running from 27–29 January 2025 (with into online session starting on 7 January). Starting with online sessions, we will invite participants for in-person learning and discussions in beautiful Prague. This course offers an in-depth overview of key EU sustainable finance regulations, with a focus on practical implementation in the CEE region. Whether you're in finance, corporate strategy, ESG, or policymaking, this is your chance to explore best practices and emerging trends, giving you the expertise to stay ahead of the curve. What to expect: 📈 Expert-led learning: Insights from EU Platform on Sustainable Finance members 📈 Strategic networking: Imapactful discussions with top professionals from across Europe 📈 Real-world application: Sustainable finance tools to critically assess sustainability strategies and implement solutions in your business and organisation 🔗 Early Bird Registrations are open until 15 November—secure your spot here: https://lnkd.in/ermGWSGk 🗓️ We also have 4️⃣ last spots for the EU TAXONOMY MASTERCLASS, taking place in Prague on 24-25 October! You can still register here: https://lnkd.in/eijGqEyG #SustainableFinance #ESG #FinanceForImpact #EUTaxonomy #ExecutiveEducation