Adapting to a low-carbon economy

Our commitment

Our ambition is to be a global leader in sustainability, which is why we want to support our clients in the transition to a low-carbon world, lead by example in our own operations, and share our lessons learned along the way with the rest of the world.

Michael Baldinger, Chief Sustainability Officer, UBS

Michael Baldinger

Our climate roadmap

We have a clear ambition: to reduce our own emissions and those of our business activities and supply chain, for a lower carbon tomorrow.

What this means

For lending

  • We set clear, science-based decarbonization targets
  • Further tightened environmental standards for financing carbon-related assets
  • Low and continuously reducing exposure to carbon-related assets

For investing

  • Founding signatory of the Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative
  • Helping our clients achieve net zero emissions in their investment portfolios

For our operations

  • Continue to reduce scope 1 and 2 emissions by implementing energy efficiency measures, switching to more sustainable energy sources and using credible market-based instruments
  • Targeting to offset historical emissions back to 2000

How we’re leading the way

As of the Sustainability Report 2022 as at 31 December 2022

As a financial institution we know we’re stronger together.

USD 268 billion

Of sustainable investing assets under management (AuM) reached (a 6.8% increase YoY)

USD 10.1 billion

From Global Wealth Management clients’ SDG-related impact commitments and invested assets

1st rank position

In our Switzerland home market, with 44% market share of Swiss franc denominated GSSS bond issuance

77

Green, social, sustainability or sustainability-linked bond deals facilitated

As a company we’re taking responsibility.

187

Pages of transparency. Our annual sustainability report is comprehensive and follows internationally recognized disclosure standards.

160

Climate-related resolutions at companies voted upon

93%

Total reduction of our greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint from the 2004 baseline year

100%

We remain committed to sourcing 100% renewable electricity across our operations globally

15% reduction

In energy consumption across our own operations by 2025 (compared with 2020) is where we're aiming

Thinking ahead

We're changing the way we do things today to create a better tomorrow – we're supporting the shift to a climate-smart world. Our climate strategy underlines our commitment to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals on affordable and clean energy and on climate action.

Connecting ideas to make a difference: driving the transition

Everyone is talking about net zero, but how can we reach not just a lower carbon economy but a more sustainable future? We’ve curated a selection of expert insights from across UBS and two of our partnerships, the UBS Global Visionaries and the Nobel Laureates in Economics.


Podcasts

In this episode Nobel Laureates Michael Spence, Eric Maskin, Bengt Holmstrom and Richard Thaler discuss the human impact on the environment, political denial and how we should approach the topic of the century and how to approach it on a global scale.

Over a three day UBS event in Hong Kong and Taipei, Nobel economists Bengt Holmström, Michael Spence, Robert Merton discussed the role of young people in making change happen and the importance of being able to flourish in an environment of change.

Exploring the facts and myths surrounding DEI, and a deep dive into how barriers to progress can be overcome.


Videos

Can economics help fight climate change?

Nobel Laureate, Paul Romer, discusses the serious problem of global warming and why the potential for discovering new ideas is how we’re going to solve it.

Where knowledge and nature meet

The human impact on the environment is the topic of the century and plans to mitigate the effects are on the table across the globe. With the number of environmental economists on the rise, are we closer to a climate change solution?

Is gender diversity a game changer for investment decision makers?

Gender diversity matters — and Claire Tucker, Senior Investment Officer, UBS Hedge Fund Solutions, explains why with a specialist investor panel followed by an interactive audience Q&A.

The acceleration of the energy transition

As the world transitions to a new energy reality, who will win and who will lose, and what should investors do about it?

Learn more about some of the ways we’re accelerating the sustainability transition in Switzerland