The Center works with financial institutions to help decarbonize high-emitting sectors in the real economy by addressing common barriers to sectoral decarbonization, such as:
Working directly with financial institutions and their clients, suppliers, and regulators, the Center helps to create climate-aligned finance agreements that establish common sectoral decarbonization roadmaps and assessment methodologies.
As a Supporting Partner of the Mission Possible Partnership (MPP), the Center is leading finance work within net-zero sector platforms for:
Steel
Aluminum
Aviation
Cement
Chemicals
Trucking
Aviation accounts for 2.5% of global carbon emissions, and air traffic is projected to increase. In a business-as-usual scenario, aviation alone would use up 10% of the planet’s remaining carbon budget by 2050.
The aviation sector must accelerate the transition to sustainable aviation fuels, invest in more efficient aircraft, and support the development of new aviation technology. The financial sector will play a crucial role in funding the technologies, projects, and companies involved in this transition. Therefore, the Center for Climate-Aligned Finance is convening six top lenders to the aviation sector — Bank of America, BNP Paribas, Citi, Crédit Agricole, Societe Generale, and Standard Chartered — in the Aviation Climate-Aligned Finance Working Group.
See Press ReleaseThe group will create a collective climate-aligned finance (CAF) framework that defines common standards of action for aviation decarbonization. The CAF framework is a commitment by banks to annually disclose the degree to which the greenhouse gas emissions from aircraft, airlines, and lessors they finance align with 1.5°C climate targets. The Working Group aims to craft an industry-backed CAF agreement before the end of 2022.
Banks that are interested in remaining up to date with the process and providing feedback during development are encouraged to join the Review Group.
Join Aviation Review GroupRMI’s Center for Climate-Aligned Finance will facilitate engagement between the Working Group and leading partner organizations focused on aviation and sustainable finance. Partner organizations include the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero, the Clean Skies for Tomorrow coalition, and the UN-convened Net-Zero Banking Alliance.
The Sustainable STEEL Principles provide a sector-specific measurement and disclosure framework for banks, enabling them to support the decarbonization of the steel sector and assess their own climate progress in line with Net-Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA) guidance.
Founding signatories are invited to demonstrate leadership on the net-zero transition by signing up to this agreement, which will be officially unveiled at NYC Climate Week in September 2022.
Similar to the Poseidon Principles for shipping, Sustainable STEEL Principles signatories receive:
Leading lenders to the global steel industry — ING, Citi, Societe Generale, Standard Chartered, and UniCredit — developed this climate-aligned finance agreement over one year of consultations. Over 80+ stakeholders reviewed and informed the agreement components, including representatives from the financial sector, industry leaders, and decarbonization experts.
To become a signatory or to learn more about the process, please contact Lucy Kessler at [email protected].
Click below for additional materials:
Briefing on the Alignment ZoneThe Poseidon Principles, launched in June 2019, are a framework for responsible maritime shipping finance and have established a model for how the financial sector can kick-start sectoral decarbonization.
They provide a way of quantitatively assessing whether financial institutions' ship finance portfolios are in line with the climate targets agreed by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the United Nation's body that oversees international shipping.
Under the Poseidon Principles, signatories commit to assess and disclose the climate alignment of their shipping portfolios and work to bring their portfolios in line with climate targets. Signatories use the Principles to engage their clients when emissions hotspots are identified.
Only one year after launch, European signatories to the Principles structured over $1.2 billion in Poseidon-linked facilities. These loans tie the cost of capital to climate-aligned GHG performance.
Learn more at the Poseidon Principles website, and read about the first year of reporting here.
The Center's Alignment Insights Lab convenes leading financial institutions, climate experts, service providers, and representatives of alignment platforms to help implement the many promising climate-alignment commitments made to date by:
Following convenings, the Center publishes key findings in best practice reports for finance practitioners. These reports are designed to accelerate the exchange of alignment solutions in the financial sector. Publications also identify and recommend solutions for key stakeholders, including:
Financial Institutions
Regulators
Service Providers
Alignment Platforms and Initiatives
The Center measures how many of the world’s largest financial institutions (LFIs) have committed to using their levers of influence to move the global economy toward net-zero emissions. This is important for:
Our July 2021 analysis covered the 119 firms with $500 billion or more in total assets, surveying banks, asset managers, asset owners, and insurers. We found:
Almost 40 percent of LFIs have made 2050 net-zero (or equivalent) commitments.
Commitments’ scope and transparency vary significantly. For example, some cover the entire business, while others focus on specific portfolios or business units.
Robust target-setting should be followed up with actions that drive the real economy toward a 1.5°C future.
Download the full Coming into Alignment report for more insights.
For further information on this analysis and our ongoing work, please contact Lizzy Harnett: [email protected]