Learn the Basics about what the SDGs are and why they matter for financial services.
Dive into the Sectors section to explore how the economic activities you are financing are connected to the SDGs, and to explore ways in which you could optimise for positive SDG alignment
Combine this with a Roles view for ideas of actions you can take whatever your role in Jersey’s financial services community
Welcome to the Jersey Finance SDG Alignment Tool, your gateway to a deeper understanding of how your investments and financed economic activities impact the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Aligning and unlocking finance is key to achieving the SDGs, and this starts with an informed financial services community.
The tool is designed to empower you with insights into how the economic activities and sectors financed from Jersey relate to the SDGs, shedding light on both their positive and negative impacts. It also sets out actions you can take, whatever your role in Jersey’s financial services sector.
What’s inside: Consider the industry sectors that your investments, or your clients, provide financing to. For each sector, you will discover between 3 and 6 SDGs that each industry sector can typically and most significantly impact, whether through positive contributions or negative impacts. You will also find some suggested actions to optimise positive SDG alignment when financing this sector. This will equip you with an understanding of the implications of financed activities and advice, enabling you to influence, manage and take action in support of the SDGs.
Why: As responsible investors and finance industry professionals, it’s essential to grasp how your decisions, advice and support influence and enable the world’s progress towards achieving the SDGs. This tool gives you a clearer picture of the SDG impacts of different sectors you may be financing. It also suggests ways in which financing could be best aligned with the goals to contribute positively to the specific SDGs associated with your selected sectors.
What’s inside: Steps you can take to help achieve the SDGs will depend to a large extent on your role within the financial services ecosystem. Whether you’re actively driving change or simply curious, we uncover some of the key actions which can be undertaken by different job roles people have in IFCs such as Jersey, together with some further actions that everyone can take.
Why: In IFCs such as Jersey, a range of professionals with varied job titles play pivotal roles in shaping the flow of finance. Although financing decisions are not always made in IFCs, there is still much that can be influenced through the value chain. For example, investment managers may make the ultimate decisions about what to finance, but these are informed by, supported by and followed up by administrators to support processes and reporting, auditors to verify information, bankers to supply capital, trustees to educate and act on their beneficiaries’ wishes, and compliance officers ensuring regulations are met. This tool gives you a clearer view of how you can influence SDG impacts in your job role working in an IFC such as Jersey.
SDG 17, ‘Partnerships for the Goals’, is relevant for all sectors due to its fundamental role in catalysing collective action for sustainable development. The SDGs are interconnected and achieving them requires a problem-solving approach from across sectors, from healthcare and education to energy and finance. SDG 17 serves as the keystone that brings these sectors together, fostering collaboration and shared responsibility. In an increasingly interconnected world, industries must recognise that their actions have far-reaching impacts, and by embracing SDG 17, they commit to actively participating in global solutions, from addressing climate change and poverty to advancing human rights and gender equality.
Furthermore, SDG 17 recognises the critical need for resource mobilisation and innovative financing mechanisms. This emphasis on financial partnerships and investment aligns with the reality that achieving the SDGs requires substantial financial commitments. All sectors and industries have a role to play in resource allocation and mobilisation, whether through responsible investment practices, philanthropic initiatives, or research and development efforts aimed at creating sustainable products and technologies. By making SDG 17 a critical consideration, sectors and industries acknowledge their shared responsibility for driving global progress, unlocking new opportunities, and mitigating risks associated with sustainability challenges.
SDG 13, ‘Climate Action’, is not included as a core SDG of every sector in this tool. However, it should be noted that every sector needs to consider this goal because climate change poses an existential threat to all communities, ecosystems, and economies, and every sector will have an impact. Climate change is a global challenge that transcends borders and affects every aspect of our lives. Industries are significant contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, making them both part of the problem and a crucial part of the solution. Embracing SDG 13 means acknowledging the role industries play in climate change and committing to transformative actions.
By making SDG 13 a critical consideration, sectors and industries align with global efforts to limit global warming and its devastating consequences. This goal necessitates adopting sustainable practices, reducing emissions, and transitioning to cleaner energy sources. It also encourages industries to innovate and develop climate-resilient technologies and solutions. Beyond the moral imperative, businesses that integrate climate action into their core strategies can gain a competitive advantage, enhance their reputation, reduce risk and tap into growing markets for sustainable products and services.
For each sector, this tool distinguishes between ‘core’ and ‘important’ SDGs as defined below:
A ‘core’ goal is one where the sector typically has potential to directly and/or purposefully contribute to or detract from the objectives of the SDG. The fulfillment of core SDGs often facilitates contributions to other SDGs, including ‘important’ goals.
An ‘important’ goal refers to an SDG that, whilst not core, still holds substantial relevance for the sector due to wider, indirect and/or associated impacts of the sector. The fulfillment of important SDGs often facilitates contributions to other SDGs due to their intersectionality.
This online tool is only intended to provide a general overview of the subject matter. It does not constitute, and should not be treated as, legal advice.
Select the Industries most relevant to your investments and/or business
The aerospace and defence sector includes manufacturers of both civil and military aerospace equipment, parts and products, as well as defence electronics and space equipment.
The automotive sector includes a number of sub-sectors:
The banking sector includes two sub sectors:
The chemicals sector encompasses a range of activities, including companies involved in the production of:
The commercial and professional services sector encompasses a wide range of businesses and services, including:
The construction, engineering, and machinery sector encompasses a wide range of industries:
The consumer discretionary retail and distribution sector encompasses a wide range of businesses that provide consumer-oriented products and services.
The consumer durables and apparel sector is made up of a diverse range of companies, producing:
The consumer services sector encompasses a diverse range of business types, including:
The consumer staples retail and distribution sector includes businesses involved in:
The electric and gas utilities sector includes:
The fossil fuel energy sector encompasses a range of activities, including:
The financial services sector encompasses a wide array of financial institutions and services, broken down into the following:
The food products and beverages sector encompasses a wide range of businesses, including:
The healthcare supplies, equipment, providers, and services sector includes:
Companies providing information technology services primarily to health care providers. Includes companies providing application, systems and/or data processing software, internet-based tools, and IT consulting services to doctors, hospitals or businesses operating primarily in the health care sector.
The Household and personal products sector includes:
The independent power and renewable energy electricity producers sector includes:
The insurance sector includes:
The media and entertainment sector comprises a diverse range of companies, including:
The metals, mining and natural resources sector encompasses a range of activities, including companies engaged in the production, refinement and recycling of:
The non-residential real estate sector is comprised of a range of entity types, including:
The pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and life sciences sector includes businesses that are:
The residential real estate sector includes:
The software and services sector encompasses a range of information technology and systems integration services, including:
The technology hardware and equipment sector encompasses a wide range of manufacturers and distributors, including:
The telecommunications services sector comprises:
The tobacco sector includes the manufacturers of cigarettes and other tobacco products. A sustainable and ethical tobacco sector can contribute to stable economic growth, offering decent employment opportunities. Conversely, poor practices in the sector, such as child labour and health issues, can undermine economic development and decent work standards, inhibiting the realisation of SDG 8.
The transportation sector encompasses a variety of services, including:
Companies that purchase and redistribute water to the end-consumer, including large-scale water treatment systems.
Select the Roles most relevant to your investments and/or business
Accountants are professionals who performs accounting functions such as account analysis, auditing or financial statement analysis, and may work with accounting firms or within organisations directly as part of internal finance functions. A fund accountant typically works for a service provider and is responsible for preparing consolidated accounts and investor reporting for investment funds, such as real estate, debt, or private equity.
An auditor’s role in the corporate reporting system is to provide trust in the financial statement information that stakeholders use in decision making. Auditors provide assurance by seeking to obtain sufficient and appropriate evidence in order to express an opinion that enhances the degree of confidence with which intended users (other than the responsible party) can rely on the subject matter information.
A financial institution that provides loans and credit facilities to businesses and individuals. Commercial lenders specialise in offering financial solutions tailored to the needs of businesses, including small, medium, and large enterprises, with the primary objective of helping businesses access the capital they need for various purposes.
A business consultant is an individual or firm hired by an organisation from outside their own workforce to provide specialised expertise, advice, or services on a particular project, issue, or area of concern. Consultants are typically hired on a temporary or contract basis for a specific task or duration, providing a wide range of strategic, financial, and business advisory services to clients in Jersey’s financial services sector. Services include organisational effectiveness optimisation, business transformation, remediation, and technology implementation, to name a few.
A commercial borrower in this context is a business or organisation that obtains funds from a lender with the intention of using those funds for a variety of purposes, from operational cash flows through to generating capital for investment and other financial needs.
Top-ranking executive within an organisation who holds a leadership position responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations and management. This is quite a wide-reaching role title across a variety of organisations and intricacies of the role vary depending on the type and size of the organisation.
Actions that everyone can take, irrespective of your specific job role in Jersey’s finance industry. Change starts with all of us.
Corporate service providers are teams of professionals with expertise in specific business functions, who provide supporting services to ensure the accuracy, timeliness and efficiency of business activities. A fund administrator is an outsourced third party service provider that performs administrative services, supporting compliance with local laws and regulations and facilitating financial transactions. Fund administrators primarily handle investor subscriptions and redemptions, maintain accurate records of fund transactions, and assist with financial reporting.
An investment manager is primarily focused on making investment decisions and managing various financial assets, such as stocks and bonds or alternatives such as real estate or other direct investments. They aim to maximise returns while considering the investor’s or client’s risk tolerance and investment objectives. Managers and advisors can act for individuals or families in a private wealth capacity, or for groups of limited partners in a private equity type structure.
Lawyers advise individuals and businesses on various legal matters. In corporate law they assist clients in navigating complex regulatory frameworks, drafting contracts, and resolving commercial disputes. In trust and estates law, they guide individuals and families in creating estate plans, establishing trusts, and managing the efficient transfer of assets. This helps clients safeguard wealth, minimise tax liabilities, and ensure the orderly distribution of assets.
A member of a Board of Directors who does not hold a full-time executive or managerial position, instead providing independent oversight, guidance, and strategic input to the company’s management and board. Typically part-time, external professionals who bring diverse skills, expertise, and perspectives to the board.
A professional responsible for overseeing and managing an organisation’s adherence to regulatory requirements, industry standards, and internal policies to mitigate financial and operational risks.
A trustee is an individual or entity appointed to hold and manage assets placed in a trust on behalf of the beneficiaries of that trust. The trustee has a fiduciary duty to act in the best interests of the beneficiaries, in accordance with the terms and conditions set out in the trust deed or agreement. Trusts are established for various purposes, including asset protection and estate planning.
A trust administrator is an outsourced third party service provider that supports the interests of beneficial owners of assets by ensuring compliance with local laws and regulations, and facilitating financial transactions.
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