Banks are vital economic intermediaries and as such can make their most significant contributions to society’s goals by creating synergies with clients, encouraging sustainable practices, and accompanying clients in their transition towards more sustainable business models and technologies.

Simultaneously, banks are facing a multitude of new sustainability regulations, while also balancing legal challenges and increasing societal expectations connected with the sustainability agenda.

Written by banks for banks, the UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) has produced the first of several guidance documents on Client Engagement. Designed to help banks move beyond analysis and target-setting, towards actionable implementation, the guidance provides banks with sector-agnostic guidelines on engaging clients. The document is structured in two parts: the internal setup for client engagement, and client engagement activities in the form of an engagement cycle.

Having identified strong interest and commitment to client engagement as a responsible banking enabler amongst Principles for Responsible Banking (PRB) signatory banks, a working group of 27 banks delivered dedicated, practical guidance on the actions banks can take to implement Principle 3 – Clients & Customers.

Though the report largely focuses on the relationship between banks and their institutional clients, it can also be applied to retail customers as well, enabling banks of varying size, scale, resources and geography to take action under Principle 3, which states that signatories will work responsibly with clients and customers to encourage sustainable practices and enable economic activities that create shared prosperity for current and future generations. Download the report here.