Shaping the future of sustainable finance
Subscribe to our NewsletterThe Institute for Sustainable Finance is a multi-disciplinary network of research and professional development that brings together academia, the private sector, and government to shape Canada’s innovations in sustainable finance.
ISF Research Fellows Program
Bridging the gap between the finance sector and academia
The ISF Research Fellows Program exists to foster collaboration between leading academics and industry experts. ISF’s Research Fellows generate practical, real-world solutions to achieve sustainable economic growth, influence global finance, and ensure that financial institutions are prepared for the challenges and opportunities of a low-carbon future.
Are investors liking corporate Canada’s ESG tweets?
New ISF research finds a mismatch between firms’ positive ESG messaging on social media, their environmental performance, and their cost of capital. Investors may be tuning them out.
Understanding Voluntary Carbon Markets, Part 2
Who’s buying carbon offsets, and why? And what kinds of projects are they supporting? A new study analyses Canadian and global corporate buyers’ use of voluntary carbon credits and implications for financial accounting and sustainability disclosures.
Canadian sustainable bond market report
A new ISF study examines a decade of issuances of some of the most important instruments for financing positive environmental and social outcomes, and prospects for the future of sustainable investing.
What is Sustainable Finance?
The Canadian Expert Panel on Sustainable Finance defines it as: capital flows, risk management activities, and financial processes that assimilate environmental and social factors as a means of promoting sustainable economic growth and the long-term sustainability of the financial system.
In its simplest form, this means aligning our financial systems and services to promote long-term environmental sustainability and economic prosperity. Learn more about Sustainable Finance through our Primer Series.
Ryan Riordan, Distinguished Professor of Finance at Smith School of Business and director of research at the Institute for Sustainable Finance explains sustainable finance.
Newsblog
April 15, 2025
ISF Engagement Survey: Shape the future of sustainable finance
ISF is celebrating its fifth anniversary in 2025, and much has changed in the world of sustainable finance. We are asking our supporters, friends, colleagues and readers to take five minutes to answer a six-question survey. Tell us what fields of research you want ISF to tackle next, what kinds of publications and events you value, and what activities will be the most useful for leaders in business, government and academia.
April 15, 2025
The Circular Economy and Circular Finance: New ISF Primer
"The circular economy (CE) is a transformative approach to how society produces, consumes, and disposes of goods," writes Paul Shorthouse of Circular Economy Leadership Canada in ISF's latest Primer Article. "In contrast to the traditional linear economy model — 'take, make, dispose' — the circular economy is designed to be restorative and regenerative by nature. Its main goal is to decouple economic growth from the consumption of finite resources."