Net zero in financial institutions

How can financial institutions lead the transition to a low-carbon economy and achieve net-zero emissions?

For financial institutions, the shift towards a net-zero economy presents major challenges but also major opportunities. Through investments, lending activities and other operations, financial institutions hold significant influence and have the power to drive change and promote the adoption of low-carbon practices.

The majority of a financial institution’s emissions are, however, so-called financed emissions. These are indirect carbon emissions generated as a result of financing and investment activities. The indirect nature of these emissions can make it challenging for financial institutions to accurately measure the total climate impact, affect the actual emissions and set meaningful reduction targets.

A morning session on the learnings from Danske Bank’s development of the group-wide Climate Action Plan

In January 2023, Danske Bank published an extensive climate action plan based on a comprehensive mapping of their carbon footprint. The Climate Action Plan contains specific 2030 targets for carbon emissions reduction across all core business areas (lending, asset management, life insurance and pension and own operations). The goals in the plan have been set in line with the criteria and recommendations provided by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and builds on many years of work in the organisation.

Join us this morning when we take a closer look at what net zero means for financial institutions. In the studio, we will be joined by Kristin Parello-Plesner, Head of Group Sustainability at Danske Bank, who will share her perspectives on the process behind the development of a group-wide climate action plan for a large Nordic financial institution.

Joining this session, you will get:

• An understanding of what net zero means for financial institutions and how to get started.
• Insights into the complexities of net zero in the financial industry.
• Learnings from Danske Bank’s development of the group-wide Climate Action Plan.