Skip to main content

Shaping the future of sustainable finance

Subscribe to our Newsletter

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.

CSRD Briefing Note

How the EU’s sustainability reporting requirements will affect Canadian businesses and how Canadian policy makers should respond.

Carbon Pricing: Necessary But Not Sufficient

Carbon prices around the world must rise quickly, and broader policies are needed to meet Paris targets and avoid the most severe costs associated with climate change, an ISF study finds.

Canada’s Transition & Green Taxonomy for Sustainable Finance

As a Knowledge Partner for the Sustainable Finance Action Council’s taxonomy work, the ISF has created resources for understanding sustainable finance taxonomies and their development, and the importance of a Transition and Green Taxonomy for Canada.

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.

March 26, 2024

EU sustainability reporting requirements a wake up call for Canadian firms, policy makers: ISF Briefing Note

The impact of tough new standards for sustainability disclosures in Europe will reverberate across the Atlantic and be felt by Canadian firms with access to European Union (EU) capital markets, or significant operations in EU countries. ISF's latest Briefing Note takes a closer look at which Canadian companies and sectors of the economy are most impacted by the newly enforced Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the accompanying European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) in the EU. The authors also draw implications for Canada’s sustainable finance policy design, specifically, Canada’s forthcoming green and transition finance taxonomy.

March 13, 2024

CSSB releases draft sustainability disclosure standards

Today, the Canadian Sustainability Standards Board (CSSB) released its proposed Canadian Sustainability Disclosure Standards (CSDS 1 and CSDS 2) for public feedback and encourages responses before June 10. The CSSB standards were developed to make “Canadian specific” modifications to International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) standards released last year, and are part of a global effort to harmonize corporate sustainability reporting and support disclosure regulations.