Greenwashing risk - key considerations and priorities for banks

The response of individual banks and the wider banking industry to climate change is coming under increasingly intense scrutiny from policymakers, regulators, shareholders and other stakeholders, including non-governmental organisations and the general public.  

Banks are facing a rapidly expanding body of laws, regulations and guidelines that require them to disclose detailed information about their efforts to decarbonise their operations and business models.

In parallel, they are being challenged to verify and validate the sustainability of ‘green’ financial products that they are developing to meet the needs of their customers around the world.

As banks navigate this fast-evolving landscape, understanding and mitigating the risks of regulatory sanction and litigation relating to greenwashing and making potentially misleading claims has become a pressing priority for boards and senior management.  

In the first in a series of podcasts exploring current and emerging developments shaping the future of banking, A&O partners Andrew Denny, head of the firm’s Global Business and Human Rights Practice, and Matt Townsend, co-head of the International Environment, Climate and Regulatory Law Group, join Roger Lui, partner and co-head of the Global Bank Sector team, to discuss the most significant issues and trends that directors and senior executives should consider.