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Shaping the future of sustainable finance

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The 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.

Professional Development

Sustainable Investing - Virtual Program

Learn sustainable investing strategies that are transforming finance.

This program will provide the key components and considerations for sustainable investing and ESG assessment, including deeper dives into integrating ESG into securities selection and portfolio management processes, and best practices for stewardship and engagement.

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.

February 3, 2025

Firms’ ESG social posts fall on deaf ears: Business Insight

Alan Morantz writes in Business Insight that "too often, firms most in need of projecting transparency on matters of ESG — particularly those in energy-intensive sectors — seem to prefer happy talk to honest talk when they have full control of the messaging." The article is based on research by Dhruv Baswal and Dr. Sean Cleary, recently published in an ISF White Paper titled, "Are investors liking corporate Canada's ESG tweets?"

January 29, 2025

ISF is hiring for the position of Executive Director (Academic)

The Institute for Sustainable Finance (ISF) at Smith School of Business, Queen’s University, is searching for an Executive Director (Academic) to establish a strategic vision, provide leadership and academic oversight, and ensure the continued financial viability of the ISF over the next several years. The position is open to both internal full-time faculty members at Queen’s University and external faculty members at other Canadian institutions with strong leadership capabilities and established sustainable finance credibility.