The UN Sustainable Stock Exchange initiative welcomes SIX Swiss Exchange (SIX) as a new member. As part of financial market infrastructure provider, SIX Swiss Exchange has solidified its commitment to transparency and sustainability by becoming a partner exchange of the UN Sustainable Stock Exchanges initiative. The SSE’s newest partner joins a network of now 111 stock exchanges around the world that are committed to promoting sustainable development.
The SSE works with stock exchanges through technical assistance, consensus building, and research to contribute to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to stimulate investment for a sustainable future. Exchanges around the world partner with the SSE to work towards a common objective of fostering financial markets that support the growth of sustainable and responsible business practices.
Christian Reuss, Head of the SIX Swiss Exchange, on the occasion of joining the UN SSE, said: “Enabling a sustainable future is part of the mission statement of SIX. Having engaged in various activities with the financial industry to foster responsible and sustainable economic development over many years, we look forward to reinforcing our commitment.”
Investing while taking ESG (environmental, social and corporate governance) data into consideration is not only about the moral and ethical considerations but also about investing in progress. It means recognizing that companies trying to solve the challenges the world is facing are often also the companies that are best positioned to grow. At SIX Swiss Exchange,
investments in a wide range of sustainable products are facilitated, including ETFs, Green Bonds, as well as Structured Products and Indices. To know more about it visit the SIX website.
Sustainability Reporting
At SIX Swiss Exchange, issuers can voluntarily opt-in to provide sustainability reports in accordance with internationally recognised standards which helps businesses, governments and other organizations understand and communicate their impacts on issues such as climate change, human rights, and corruption. Issuers who opt into the SIX regime are then obliged to adopt the sustainability report in accordance with the chosen internationally recognised standard and to publish it on their website within eight months of the balance sheet date for the annual financial statements for a period of five years.
SIX participation and commitment to sustainable development related practices includes:
- Annual participation in the Sustainability Survey produced by WFE
- SIX also is a member of Swiss Sustainable Finance which aims to inform on best practices and create supportive frameworks and tools to support its members.
- As a member of the Zurich Energy Model, SIX is committed to improving its energy efficiency by around 11% in the target agreement period from 2013 to 2020. In fact, SIX managed to increase its energy efficiency by twice as much: According to Zurich Energy Model calculations, the increase in this eight-year period was around 22%. In absolute terms, SIX saved approximately 25,000 MWh of energy.
- SIX is also a member of the Advance network for “Gender Equality in Business,” which offers mentoring and further education opportunities specifically for women.
SSE Stock Exchange Database
To learn more about what exchanges are doing to promote ESG disclosure and sustainable finance, visit the SSE’s database of stock exchange sustainability activities. Currently, the database has data on 114 stock exchanges and tracks progress on key activities where exchanges are promoting sustainable business and investment practices. It is the largest data set of its kind and the data is freely accessible.
