Room for sustainable finance: 6th edition of the Italian SRI Week

The sixth edition of the Italian Sustainable and Responsible Investment Week, or SRI Week, is taking place from 8 to 17 November in Milan and Rome: the initiative, promoted and coordinated by the Italian Sustainable Investment Forum (Forum per la Finanza Sostenibile, or FFS), is the most relevant sustainable investment event in Italy.
Supported by prominent financial actors and under the patronage of the Ministry of the Environment, Land and Sea, this year the SRI Week is once again offering the public a rich programme including 11 events, all with free admission: ten conferences are being attended by national and international high-profile speakers featuring the presentation of reports and studies.
The opening and closing events are both focused on Italy, dealing with retail investors’ attitude towards sustainable investment and the SRI policies of pension plans, with the presentation of two studies carried out by FFS in 2017. Moreover, the most relevant topics on the agenda include impact investing and the role of sustainable finance in local development: each one is the subject of two reports elaborated by working groups conducted by the FFS throughout the year.

The events promoted by FFS, in detail:
• Rome, 8 November: presentation of the study on responsible investor in Italy
The Week kicks off at the Chamber of Deputies with the presentation of the study conducted by FFS and Doxa on responsible retail investors in Italy. Supported by Natixis Global Asset Management and Gruppo Generali, this is an update on a previous investigation conducted in 2013 on the relevance of environmental and social aspects to investment choices.
• Milan, 9 November: presentation of the report on sustainable finance and local development
The second event of the Week is being hosted by Fondazione Riccardo Catella, and features the presentation of a report on the role of sustainable finance in local development. The report was made possible thanks to the contributions of the participants of a working group organised by FFS in collaboration with IEFE Bocconi, Fondazione IFEL and ANCI Lombardia, and supported by HDI Assicurazioni.
• Milan, 15 November: presentation of the report on impact investing
The impact investing strategy is registering a significant growth, at both a global and European level: the topic will be discussed at BASE Milano during the official presentation of a report written by FFS in collaboration with Social Impact Agenda per l’Italia and with the support of AXA Investment Managers, Etica SGR and Sella
Gestioni SGR. The publication is the outcome of a multi-stakeholder working group including both financial actors and non-profit organisations.
• Rome, 17 November: presentation of the study on SRI and pension plans in Italy
The Week will end at the headquarters of COVIP (the Italian authority of pension plans) with an event dedicated to the retirement sector, featuring the presentation of the third edition of the study on sustainable investment policies of the biggest Italian pension plans, carried out by FFS in collaboration with Mefop and MondoInstitutional and supported by AXA Investment Managers, BNP Paribas Asset Management, State Street Global Advisors and Vigeo Eiris.

For the full programme, please click here.

The Week’s programme also looks to Europe with the presentation of the Interim Report of the High-Level Expert Group on Sustainable Finance, established by the European Commission to develop a common strategy on sustainable finance. The conference is the Italian step of a Roadshow organised across the main European financial centres by Eurosif – an association promoting sustainable finance in Europe, of which FFS is member.
Finally, once again this year FFS and Associazione Hendel are promoting a programme of cultural events to introduce a wider audience to sustainability and finance. In fact, Sunday 19 November will be dedicated to theatre, music, interactive conferences and workshops for children: all of them hosted at Palazzo Mezzanotte (the headquarter of Borsa Italiana).

“In the last years we have observed a significant progress of sustainable finance in Europe and in Italy: as a matter of fact, the assets managed by following environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria are growing, and so is the attention of several financial actors to sustainability themes. Moreover, this evolution is mirrored in FFS’ membership, which is wider and even more motivated and proactive than ever,” commented Francesco Bicciato, FFS’ Secretary General.

For further information, please visit the official website: www.settimanasri.it

The 2017 edition of the SRI Week has received the patronage of the Ministry of the Environment, Land and Sea.
The media and network partners are: Advisor, ETicaNews, FinanciaLounge, ilPunto, La Mia Finanza, MondoInstitutional, Morningstar and Valori.