The most important sustainable themes in 2021 were energy, social concerns and environmental issues.
Keystone / Laurent Gillieron
The volume of sustainable investments in Switzerland increased by almost a third last year, reaching an all-time high of CHF1.98 trillion ($2 trillion).
This continuing growth – the rate is almost the same as last year – is mainly due to the increased use of sustainable investment approaches and the overall positive market development in 2021, according to the authors of the latest market studyExternal link published on Thursday by Swiss Sustainable Finance (SSF). The study was conducted in cooperation with the University of Zurich.
According to the study, at CHF799.5 billion, sustainable funds account for just over half of the total Swiss fund market.
“The fact that more and more asset managers are incorporating sustainability aspects is gratifying and shows how essential they are for the investment process,” SSF President Patrick Odier said.
More
More
The imperfect science of ESG investing
This content was published on
More companies are jumping on the ESG bandwagon. But are investors just rewarding good intentions?
Investments that exclude certain areas are the most popular investment approach. However, with an increase of 157%, sustainable thematic investments recorded the greatest growth of all investment approaches last year.
According to the study, the large providers of thematic investments are primarily responsible for this. The most important sustainable themes in 2021 were energy, social concerns and environmental issues.
For the survey SSF also asked asset managers how they measure the impact of their sustainable investments. A quarter of respondents measure the contribution against the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Around half use a combination of measurement methods.
More
More
Switzerland grapples with challenge of greening its banks
This content was published on
Switzerland has ambitions to become a premiere global hub for sustainable finance.
What do you think Switzerland’s Alain Berset can bring to the Council of Europe?
The former interior minister is to become the first Swiss Secretary General of the Council of Europe – which issues should his five-year term focus on?
How is your country dealing with the return of stolen artifacts?
Western nations like Switzerland often have to deal with the process of recovering or returning looted artifacts which have been illegally imported. What’s the situation like in your country?
Norwegian zombie film wins main prize at Swiss festival NIFFF
This content was published on
More than 55,000 people celebrated the fantastic film at the International Fantastic Film Festival in Neuchâtel (NIFFF) - fewer than last year.
This content was published on
The environmental and social impact of investments could reap rewards for the financial sector - or bring substantial business risks.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.