SSF Publications
Listed below are all the SSF publications, including market studies, handbooks and other publications including the "Focus" and "Spotlight" series. Click on the title to access more information and download the publication in different languages.
29 October 2024: A Stocktake of Swiss Impact Investing
This publication, developed in collaboration with Tameo, analyzes insights from the SSF Swiss Sustainable Investment Market Study 2024 and Swiss-specific data from the Tameo Private Asset Impact Fund Report 2023. Together, they provide a comprehensive view of the Swiss impact investing landscape and outline future growth opportunities.
Read the full report in English here.
Read the Press Release in English, German, or French.
6 June 2024: Swiss Sustainable Investment Market Study 2024
The 2024 edition of the Swiss Sustainable Investment Market Study not only provides an overview of sustainability-related investment volumes but also offers invaluable insights into the Swiss sustainable investment landscape, regulatory updates, sustainable investment approaches and much more.
Visit the microsite here.
Read the full report in English here.
Read the Executive Summary in German or in French.
15 May 2024: "Swiss Sustainable Lending Market Study 2024"
This first edition of the Swiss Sustainable Lending Market Study provides in-depth insights about current practices in taking ESG factors into account in the lending business in Switzerland. This publication aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the lending market by making available self-reported data on current market practices and the application of sustainable financing approaches, thereby providing transparency to both the financial sector and the broader public.
Read the full report in English here.
Read the Executive Summary in German or in French.
11 December 2023: “The Role of Derivatives in Sustainable Investing”
The SSF Spotlight report identifies sustainability-related challenges associated with derivatives, with a particular focus on three client-relevant aspects: market signal and exposure to underlying assets, associated ownership rights, and transparency in reporting. Developed in collaboration with an SSF Focus Group, the report provides concrete guidance on aligning derivative usage with sustainability objectives and enhancing transparency in sustainable investing.
Read the full report here.
Read the press release in English, German or French.
3 November 2023: “Sustainable Real Estate Investments: Insights for Direct Real Estate Investors”
Developed in collaboration with ZHAW School of Management and law, the new SSF Spotlight publication, titled “Sustainable Real Estate Investments: Insights for Direct Real Estate Investors” provides concrete guidance on how to align investment decisions with specific sustainability objectives and requirements, and how to navigate the diverse landscape of labels, benchmarks, and monitoring tools.
Read the full report English, German or French.
Read the press release in English, German or French.
4 October 2023: Swiss Stewardship Code
The Asset Management Association Switzerland (AMAS) and Swiss Sustainable Finance (SSF) are today publishing the Swiss Stewardship Code, which provides asset managers, asset owners and financial service providers with guidance to encourage the active exercising of shareholder rights by investors in Switzerland. Investor stewardship is fundamental for effective investment and promoting sustainable businesses.
Read the full report here.
Read the media release in English, French or German.
24 August 2023: TCFD Disclosure – Guidance and Best Practice in the Swiss Context
In accordance with the Swiss Code of Obligations and the Ordinance on Reporting on Climate Matters, many financial services providers are now obligated to report on climate risks for the first time, starting in the financial year 2024. The recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) form the cornerstone of this reporting. In this guide, SSF outlines how climate reporting can be implemented effectively, providing a foundation for forward-looking strategic decision-making.
Read the full report here.
27 June 2023: Swiss Sustainable Investment Market Study 2023
In the 2023 edition of the SSF Sustainable Investment Market Study the total volume of sustainability-related investments in Switzerland fell by 19 percent, to CHF 1,610 billion, in 2022. The decline is mainly attributable to the negative market performance (around 18 percent) and tighter definitions of sustainability-related investments by respondents. Thematic investments and impact investments have defied the market dynamics and are showing strong growth.
Read the full report in English here.
Read the Executive Summary in German or in French.
24 August 2022: Setting sail for a carbon-neutral future: Net Zero Insights 2022
SSF together with PwC, AMAS, Swiss Banking, SVV prepared the report "Setting sail for a carbon-neutral future: Net Zero Insights 2022" to give a progress update on net zero commitments within the Swiss financial centre. The aim of this study is to create awareness for the importance of decarbonisation, provide context for net zero levers and create transparency.
Read the full report in English here.
Read the Executive Summary in German or in French.
This report, prepared in cooperation with EY, addresses the risk that investors and clients will be consciously or unconsciously misled about the sustainability characteristics of financial instruments and services, which can result in an expectation gap or so-called “greenwashing”. To address this issue, and in reaction to SSF member requests around practical implementation, SSF decided to develop recommendations that provide guidance to practitioners on how sustainability preferences of clients can best be integrated in advisory processes.
Read the full report in English here.
9 June 2022: Swiss Sustainable Investment Market Study 2022
In the 2022 edition of the Swiss Sustainable Investment Market Study, SSF provides in-depth insights into recent market developments for sustainable investment (SI) in Switzerland. With an increase of 30% on the previous year to a total of CHF 1,982.7 billion, sustainable investments continue their dynamic growth.
Read the full report in English here.
Read the Executive Summary in German or in French.
24 Mai 2022: Sustainability in Lending
In this report, prepared in cooperation with the Association of Swiss Cantonal Banks (ASCB) and the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) highlights strategic approaches for sustainable lending and identifies four action areas: the exclusion of non-sustainable sectors or activities, the inclusion of ESG ratings in finance models, the financing of company transformation and the funding of concrete sustainability solutions.
Read the full report in French.
Read the executive summary in English.
In this Roadmap, we showcase how the financial sector can play a key role in transforming our society and economy. The Roadmap outlines key steps for Swiss financial financial market players to fully integrate sustainability factors into their actions and operations.
22 June 2021: SSF Reporting Recommendations on Portfolio ESG Transparency
In this report, SSF sets out transparency recommendations on concrete reporting elements that make it possible to assess the ESG credentials of investment portfolios.
7 June 2021: Swiss Sustainable Investment Market Study 2021
For the fourth consecutive year, SSF publishes its comprehensive market study shedding light on sustainable investment developments in Switzerland. In 2020 Switzerland saw double digit growth in sustainability investing. With particularly high growth rates for impact-oriented approaches, sustainable investments are on the cusp of a new era. This year’s study chronicles the increasing trend towards dialogue and engagement and more sophisticated ESG investment processes supported by multiple sustainable investment approaches.
19 November 2020: Financing the Low-Carbon Economy
In this report, SSF explores the broad range of different finance solutions at hand to support the transition to a climate-friendly economy. The extensive compendium, prepared by SSF in cooperation with its network, highlights 16 specific finance instruments and approaches for a low-carbon economy, and illustrates their implementation through 8 case studies.
18 September 2020: Sustainable financial management for cities
On behalf of the Conference of municipal finance directors (KSFD) , SSF wrote a report on sustainable financial management for Swiss cities. The report is available in German and French.
25 June 2020: Sustainability in financial education and training in Switzerland
Financial education is an important lever for greater sustainability in the economy. In collaboration with the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), SSF published a report with an analysis and recommendations for more sustainability in financial education and training in Switzerland.
8 June 2020: Swiss Sustainable Investment Market Study 2020
For the third consecutive year, SSF publishes its comprehensive market study shedding light on sustainable investment developments in Switzerland. Once again with double-digit growth rates in sustainable investing in 2019, the Swiss market continues to progress. This year additional analysis on how market players combine the different SI approaches provides further insights into the quality and sophistication of the growing SI volumes.
16 June 2020: Sustainable Asset Management: Key Messages and Recommendations of SFAMA and SSF
With this document, the Swiss Funds & Asset Management Association (SFAMA) and Swiss Sustainable Finance (SSF) draw up detailed recommendations for the Swiss asset management industry on how to implement sustainable practices effectively. The recommendations and associated core messages are intended to actively help asset managers incorporate sustainability criteria into their investment processes.
18 December 2019: EU Action Plan on Sustainable Finance
In this Focus, SSF provides an overview and status report of five of the key EU sustainable finance initiatives most relevant to Swiss financial institutions. The publication also contains a section on how Swiss institutions may be affected by the EU legislative measures, providing suggestions on a possible course of action.
7 October 2019: Switzerland for Sustainable Finance – Transforming finance for a better world
The new brochure, produced by SSF in a joint project with Swiss Bankers Association (SBA), Swiss Funds & Asset Management Association (SFAMA) and Swiss Insurance Association (SIA), provides a comprehensive overview of Switzerland’s unique strengths in sustainable finance.
3 June 2019: Swiss Sustainable Investment Market Study 2019
In the 2019 edition of the Swiss Sustainable Investment Market Study, SSF provides in-depth insights into recent market developments. The study reveals a sharp increase in the total volume of sustainable investments, again highlighting the growing importance of sustainability in the Swiss financial industry.
4 March 2019: Focus - Measuring Climate-Related Risks in Investment Portfolios
SSF sheds light on the topic of Measuring Climate-Related Risks in Investment Portfolios in this issue of its Focus series. It provides a concise overview on existing practices to measure climate-related risks of investments in investment portfolios and helps identify research partners in the landscape for related services.
18 February 2019: Inspiring Investment Partnerships to Achieve Global Goals
In this publication, SSF takes stock of key lessons on the role of private- and public-sector actors in creating successful investment partnerships to attract necessary capital and achieve global goals. Concrete case studies based on the experience of SSF members illustrate how such investment partnerships can be put into practice.
30 May 2018: Swiss Sustainable Investment Market Study 2018
This is the first time Swiss Sustainable Finance (SSF) provides its own comprehensive market overview of sustainable investments in Switzerland. The goal of this study is to highlight the growing importance of sustainability within the Swiss financial community and to shed more light on the background and drivers for this development.
December 2017: Handbook on Sustainable Investments - Background Information and Practical Examples for Institutional Asset Owners
One year after the publication of our handbook in German and French, SSF is happy to announce that together with the CFA Institute Research Foundation, we have updated and translated this publication into English.
15 November 2017: Focus - Controversial Weapons Exclusions
This factsheet is the first in the new series "Focus" published by SSF. In this edition, we tackle the topic of controversial weapons and what investors need to consider. This short publication provides an overview of the Swiss and international situation related to controversial weapons financing and investments.
13 June 2017: Proposals for a Roadmap – SSF members voice opinions one year on
One year after the FOEN publication “Proposals for a Roadmap towards a Sustainable Financial System in Switzerland”, SSF set out to collect opinions on recent developments of the Swiss Financial System and the progress made in the five core areas of the “proposals”.
1 June 2017: Swiss sustainable investment market report 2017
This study, for the second year in a row jointly prepared by Forum Nachhaltige Geldanlagen and Swiss Sustainable Finance, provides an overview on the Swiss market of sustainable investments.
22 March 2017: Sustainable investing: A unique opportunity for Swiss Private Wealth Management – Ten arguments and practical tools for client advisors
In this publication, Swiss Sustainable Finance uses ten strong arguments to showcase how sustainable investments represent a yet untapped opportunity for Swiss private banking. To make it as accessible as possible for client advisors, SSF additionally prepared a practical toolkit, summary presentations and a short movie on the topic.
28 November 2016: Handbook on Sustainable Investments
Institutional investors in Switzerland are showing a growing interest in sustainable investments. This goes hand in hand with a need for information, both among pension funds and foundations, as well as among experts from insurance companies and other institutional investors. Swiss Sustainable Finance has therefore prepared a handbook on sustainable investments for Swiss institutional asset owners.
10 May 2016: Swiss sustainable investment market report 2016
This study has been jointly prepared by Forum Nachhaltige Geldanlagen and Swiss Sustainable Finance and provides an overview on the Swiss market of sustainable investments.
12 April 2016: Swiss investments for a better world - The first market survey on investments for development
The first Swiss Sustainable Finance study, ’Swiss Investments for a Better World’, offers a detailed overview of the structure and dynamics of the Swiss market for investments in development. The report was produced in partnership with the Center for Microfinance of the University of Zurich and Symbiotics.
24 October 2014: Swiss Sustainable Finance - Promoting Switzerland as a leading center for sustainable finance
Swiss Sustainable Finance presents itself, maps the Swiss landscape and outlines the activities on which the newly established association will focus.
Please get in touch with us if you are interested in ordering any of the publications in hard copy (info@sustainablefinance.ch).
