LibertyGreen 3a is a new member of Swiss Sustainable Finance. The association promotes best practices in companies, and networks members and partners to make the Swiss financial center a leader in sustainable investments.
Swiss investors are showing a growing interest in sustainable investments, that take into account environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. Accordingly, the range of sustainable Swiss funds is increasing; from 777 funds in the previous year to 1,289 funds (+66%) in 2021. Assets under management have risen from 316 billion to 775 billion Swiss Francs (+145%), according to a recent study by the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. However, which funds should be considered "sustainable" is a controversial debate. The EU has been making standardization requirements on this topic since March 2021. However, even the EU regulatory approach is still not very handy and leaves a lot of room for interpretation.
There are no uniform rules
Each provider has to decide for itself what sustainability is, due to the lack of uniform rules. In fact, the vast diversity of investment approaches does not make it a simple task for those responsible, to gain an overview and find the approach that is suitable for their own organization.
SSF and its members provide guidance on "best practice"
Back in 2016, the Swiss Sustainable Finance Association, including around 30 experts from amongst its members, produced a "Sustainable Investment Handbook". In four parts, it highlights the context of sustainable investments, presents existing approaches to sustainable investments, as well as specific sustainable asset classes. With this handbook, the SSF provides guidance for the concrete implementation of a sustainable investment policy. The Handbook on Sustainable Investments, is the standard work on this topic, as SSF Managing Director Sabine Döbeli emphasized at the time. The idea for the handbook came from the SSF working group 'Institutional Investors', which includes well-known major investors such as Helvetia, Mobiliar, Nest Sammelstiftung, Swiss Re and Suva.
LibertyGreen Foundation for 3a Retirement Savings benefits from practice and experience
SSF aims to make the Swiss financial center a leading provider of sustainable financial investments, thus contributing to a sustainable and prosperous economy. Swiss Sustainable Finance does this by collaborating on and informing about best practices, creating supportive frameworks as well as working tools. In addition, SSF supports its members and collaborates with other players in the market to advance the Swiss financial center in the area of sustainability. The association now has 194 members and network partners, which now includes LibertyGreen Foundation for 3a Retirement Savings. We benefit from the expertise within the association, while contributing to it ourselves. Here's to a good cooperation - for the benefit of our clients!
