Sustainable finance: AMAS is committed against greenwashing

Basel, 5 may 2022 – The Asset Management Association Switzerland (AMAS) wants to establish Switzerland as the leading asset management hub for sustainable finance. For this reason, the association is actively engaged in measures to avoid greenwashing. In a position paper, AMAS further shows how Switzerland's claim to leadership in sustainable finance can be realised.

In its new position paper "Sustainable Asset Management without Greenwashing: How Switzerland can live up to its claim to leadership", the Asset Management Association Switzerland (AMAS) outlines measures and developments that are considered necessary in order to successfully implement the Swiss financial centre strategy of a leading hub for sustainable finance.
AMAS takes the position that greenwashing undermines the credibility of the Swiss financial centre with regard to its sustainability and climate protection credentials. "Greenwashing is incompatible with our claim to leadership in sustainable asset management," says AMAS Managing Director Adrian Schatzmann. "That is why we have set ourselves the goal of contributing to ensuring the integrity of the Swiss financial centre with commitment and measures."
To achieve this goal, AMAS is currently working on a binding self regulation for sustainable asset management, which focuses on combating greenwashing and on climate protection.
AMAS is also formulating implementation proposals for the Swiss asset management industry and the financial centre in order to stand out in international competition in the area of sustainable finance through quality. These include joining "net zero alliances", establishing ESG governance at the corporate level and the exercise of active ownership by asset managers and asset owners.
"AMAS is convinced that a successful sustainability strategy for the Swiss financial centre requires the development and establishment of appropriate framework conditions by national and international policymakers," says Iwan Deplazes, Chairman of AMAS. Among other things, AMAS cites a strong CO2 law and the establishment of ESG reporting for Swiss companies as fundamental prerequisites in Switzerland. The AMAS position paper is intended to contribute to a positive and constructive dialogue with the financial industry as well as with politicians and the public in order to promote a strong, integrity
and sustainable Swiss financial centre and to make a substantial contribution to achieving the global climate goals and to help shape the transition to a CO2-free global economy.