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.
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.
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.
The Wealth of Wetlands
Canada’s vast tracts of nature are a valuable asset that has not been properly accounted for. A new ISF report finds that wetlands contribute roughly $225-billion in value to the Canadian economy each year.
Understanding Voluntary Carbon Markets, Part 1
A new study, the first in a series by the Institute for Sustainable Finance, CPA Canada and the International Federation of Accountants, provides a crucial resource for understanding how VCMs function and how to critically assess the quality of carbon credits.
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
October 9, 2024
A clear and overdue path to accounting for natural assets in Canada: Corporate Knights Opinion
"Natural assets (such as rivers, wetlands and forests) are neither traded nor routinely valued, yet they provide critical services like helping manage worsening floods, droughts and heat waves, as well as storing carbon to slow climate change. These services are financially valuable," write Joanna Eyquem, Peter van Dijk and James K. Stewart in Corporate Knights. "For example, an Institute for Sustainable Finance report estimates that Canadian wetlands alone provide services worth approximately $225 billion annually, equivalent to around 8% of Canada’s gross domestic product."
October 8, 2024
Sustainable bond market boom on pause, finds ISF's 10-year review
The inaugural “Canadian sustainable bond market report” from the Institute for Sustainable Finance examines a decade of issuances of some of the most important instruments for financing positive environmental and social outcomes. Use of proceeds from Green, Social, Sustainability, and Sustainability-Linked bonds support everything from clean energy and green buildings, to women’s empowerment to Ukraine sovereignty.