×

Our award-winning reporting has moved

Context provides news and analysis on three of the world’s most critical issues:

climate change, the impact of technology on society, and inclusive economies.

Italy central bank to spurn firms that don't go green

by Reuters
Saturday, 18 May 2019 06:31 GMT

Banca D'Italia (Bank of Italy) sign is seen in downtown Rome, Italy, October 19, 2018. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi

Image Caption and Rights Information

The investment criteria exclude firms that do not adopt U.N. principles on human rights, labor and the environment

ROME, May 18 (Reuters) - The Bank of Italy plans to adopt investment criteria which reward companies that take action on climate change, joining other central banks, commercial banks and fund managers in ratcheting up pressure on boardrooms to go green.

The criteria will apply by end-June to the Italian central bank's roughly 8 billion euros ($8.9 billion) in shareholdings and later be extended to its 1 billion euros in corporate bond holdings, the bank said in a statement posted on its web site.

The criteria exclude firms that do not adopt U.N. principles on human rights, labor, the environment and anti-corruption.

The Bank of Italy is a member of the Network for Greening the Financial System, a global financial group which treats climate change as a threat to financial stability.

An independent adviser will help the Bank of Italy to spot the best-in-class companies in terms of environmental, social and governance standards, the bank said.

As a result of the new criteria, greenhouse gas emissions from companies within its portfolio will fall 23%, and energy and water consumption will drop 30% and 17% respectively.

The central bank did not give a timeframe for when the new investment criteria would apply to corporate bond holdings.

($1 = 0.8951 euros) (Reporting by Giselda Vagnoni Editing by Mark Bendeich)

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

-->