Sustainable Finance: What’s in It for Corporates?

On 18 October 2018, AFEP, the French Association of Large Companies, organised its conference Sustainable Finance: What’s in It for Corporates?

So far, sustainable finance has mainly been debated within the financial sector. Whilst sustainable finance could become a useful tool to reorient capital flows towards sustainable investment, the greening of the real economy can only be achieved in cooperation with corporates. With this conference, AFEP wished to foster dialogue between corporates and policy-makers, investors, and other stakeholders to make sure that the Commission Action Plan actually delivers results.

Our conference included two roundtable discussions: the first one focussed on the Commission Action Plan, the second one addressed the analysis and reporting of climate risks.

The conference was moderated by Karel Lannoo, CEO, CEPS.

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Please find in the programme below the links to the various presentations.

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Programme & presentations

14.00 Registration and coffee

14.30 Welcome by Jérémie Pélerin, European Affairs Director, AFEP
Opening speech by Ugo Bassi, Director for Financial Markets, DG FISMA, European Commission

14.45 Panel 1: Sustainable Finance Action Plan: How to Avoid Greenwashing and Provide Real Solutions?
This panel discussion seeks to establish whether the EU initiatives on sustainable finance can really help tackle climate change and improve sustainability. In particular, it seeks to establish whether these initiatives can actually trigger investments in sustainable projects. It discusses the feasibility of the EU taxonomy, its potential risks and benefits. It explores the role and needs of corporates, which are at the core of the real economy. It seeks to analyse the expectations of policy-makers, investors and other stakeholders towards corporates.
Speakers:

Sylvain Favre-Gilly, Managing Director, BlackRock France, Belgium and Luxembourg (slide)
Molly Scott Cato, Member of the European Parliament (Greens, UK)
Martin Spolc, Head of the CMU Unit, DG FISMA, European Commission
Michel Washer, Deputy Chief Sustainability Officer, Solvay, Member of the GRI Global Sustainability Standards Board

15.55 Presentation of The Shift Project Study for AFEP on Climate Risk Analysis, by Nicolas Boquet, AFEP (slide)
Presentation of French companies’ recommendations on sustainability rating, by Elisabeth Gambert, AFEP

16.05 Panel 2: Climate reporting : How to Make It Useful for Low-Carbon Investments ?
This panel discussion looks at the specific issue of climate reporting and how it can contribute to meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement. It seeks to evaluate the needs of investors and corporates and how they can be successfully matched. It provides feedback on the implementation of art. 173 in France. It looks at the role of rating agencies involved in climate risk analysis, their weaknesses (cf. Shift Project Study) and their relation with issuers. It examines the relevance of the TCFD standard. It explores how financial and non-financial reporting at large can be made most useful and meaningful.
Speakers:

Adrien Assous, Chair of the Board, Sandbag (slide)
Aurélie Baudhuin, Deputy CEO and Director for SRI Research, Meeschaert Asset Management
Liliana Franco, Director, Accounting Organization and Methods, Air Liquide, Member of the TCFD
Alice Peyrard, Director Climate Change Commitment, Veolia (slide)

17.15 Closing remarks by Mauro Petriccione, Director-General, DG CLIMA, European Commission
Acknowledgements and take-aways, by François Soulmagnon, Director-General, AFEP

17.30 Cocktail Reception

19.00 End of the event

For more information, please contact europe@afep.com.