About 15 years ago, banks started to integrate environmental risks into their credit risk management procedures. In this article, a survey of the European banking sector focusing on the analysis of the integration of environmental risks into all phases of the credit risk management, rating, costing, pricing, monitoring and work-out, is presented. The integration of environmental risks into the whole credit risk management process is important because only then is an adequate risk management guaranteed. The results show that banks integrate environmental risks especially into the rating phase, but not in all phases of the credit management process, though this is recommendable because these risks influence all phases of the credit management process. Furthermore, significant differences in integrating environmental risks between banks that are signatories of the UNEP statement by banks on the environment and sustainable development and banks that had not signed this agreement so far could be found.

During the last decade, the idea of sustainable investments hit the market. Investors both private and institutional started to supplement financial considerations with social and ecological ones. Meanwhile the supply of mutual funds in the 'green' investment sector increased enormously. Currently in Europe about 300 mutual funds are available that are managed according to sustainability and social responsibility. Potential investors face the difficulty of keeping track of the various funds and choosing among them based on a reliable comparative assessment. This paper outlines the basic principles and methods on which such a comparative sustainability rating is based. The method was designed to be analogous to rating of the funds financially. The sustainability rating is based on assessment of the research processes in the fund management as well as investigation of the fund portfolio in terms of composition and sustainability performance. It should support investors in their investment choices by offering them a third party view.

No abstract

No abstract