Focus Areas

It can be noticed that within the sustainability debate, there is little focus on the financial markets or on the general topics of “investment” and “financing”, even though their importance is undisputed. Cash flows must be steered in the right direction in order to make sustainable development possible. For example, a discussion on climate change without building in discussion on financing options is not very productive. Furthermore, particularly against the background of climate change, the financing of alternative energy technologies as well as considering investments in fossil energies must be made into central themes to achieve a decarbonised economic framework.

Within the Sustainable Finance department, the OEGUT deals with these topics. A central concern for the OEGUT is to achieve awareness of the importance of the financial market in sustainable development and to take further steps, together with other actors, so as to implement sustainability into the financial market.

Central areas of work within this topic:

• Information and communication is essential for the dissemination of innovative, „sustainable“ solutions, results and current developments from within the area of Sustainable Finance. The OEGUT is in charge of information platforms such as the website  www.gruenesgeld.at, puts together publications and organises events on the topic of Sustainable Finance. Furthermore the OEGUT-experts are available for presentations and workshops.
• Consultation and certification: the OEGUT creates studies, assessments and opinion statements and evaluates and certifies both organisations and (financial) products according to sustainability criteria. A new area of focus includes alternative financing models (such as crowdfunding, for example) for organisations and projects.
• Networking: the OEGUT initiates, organises and oversees working groups (for example on business ecology and social benchmarking) and platforms (for example the OEGUT platform on ethical-ecological investment) on the topic of sustainability. Important current topics are reflected on, discussed and summarised into statements, working papers or position papers.