On the 7th of May Julian and Marian attended UKSIF’s Spring Conference at Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh. UKSIF (UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association) brings together finance professionals to champion sustainable investment practices. With over 300 members (including Ethical Futures), they are a key player in advancing ethical finance across the UK. You can find out more about them here. 

We won’t give you a blow by blow account of the day, but Marian has pulled out some interesting points that we think will be of interest. 

The day began with a keynote speech from Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes. She highlighted the importance of the public sector and private sector working together to bring about the changes necessary to battle the climate crisis. As Cabinet Secretary for Economy, she is focused on bringing clarity and confidence to investors and stated that investment is a central pillar for the government moving forward in 2025. She also highlighted the need for collaboration between Holyrood and Westminster. 

Our survey last year highlighted GB Energy as one of the new government’s policies that interested our clients. The second panel, “GB Energy: What Opportunities Does the Future Hold?”, featured Harry Burnham (UKSIF) moderating a discussion with Ben Elsworth (GB Energy), Joe Crehan (Rathbone Greenbank), and Matthew Clayton (Thrive Renewables). 

Ben stated that the focus of GB Energy is to create a new business from scratch, they have no legacy assets to work with, just a blank slate and a bold mission. They are aiming to work alongside partners to help close gaps in the market, develop nascent technology and add value to the UK’s power supply chain as well as helping to accelerate the government’s clean power goals. Panelists agreed on key priorities: addressing market failures, developing long-duration energy storage, and accelerating progress toward climate goals. Joe expressed cautious optimism that GB Energy can contribute meaningfully to the 2030 climate targets. 

During the Q&A, Julian raised a question about the vague political messaging surrounding GB Energy, asking how a clearer narrative could be communicated to the public. Ben reiterated the government's aim to reduce energy bills, while Joe and Matthew pointed to the need to decouple gas from pricing mechanisms. Still, as Ben noted, it's early days, GB Energy’s direction will become clearer with time. 

On a lighter note, next on the agenda was James Alexander (CEO of UKSIF) and Abigail Herron (Aviva) discussing how to stay motivated in the face of mounting sustainability challenges. This fireside chat began with audience participation – what song best represents our industry currently? There were many suggestions such as Johnny Cash’s “I Won’t Back Down” and “Staying Alive” by the Bee Gees. My key takeaway was that sustainable finance has always been a bit of a rollercoaster. It’s important that we are adaptable and that we celebrate the wins. James used the metaphor of a pendulum; things always swing back and forth. He’s hopeful that each time it swings, it stays closer to our mission. 

One of the most interesting discussions was the conversation between James Alexander and Will Oulton (Marine Conservation Society). Will began with a list of powerful facts. 

He highlighted critical challenges like ocean acidification, worsened by sewage decomposition near coasts. And the devastating impact of industrial trawling, which discards 38 million tons of sea life annually. That’s equivalent to 9 billion cats or 7 million elephants. If this took place on land, we would deem it to be industrial deforestation. 

His message was clear: investors have a crucial role to play in protecting our oceans. Sustainable finance can and must be part of the solution. 

Next up was the regulatory update featuring Julian, joined by Miranda Beacham (Aegon) and Ly-Sia Quach (Weefin), with Oscar Warwick Thompson (UKSIF) moderating.  

The panel believes that SDR is a good regulation. But it has had its teething problems. It’s rigid with little flexibility which leads to some companies not wanting to try and get a label. It excludes the idea of ethical investments, choosing instead to focus on sustainable. Julian stated that the process of attaining labels has been a challenge and that ethical should have been factored in. One main problem is that retail clients don’t speak the same language as investment houses. So, there is a lack of communication and understanding.  

Looking forward Ly-Sia stated that due to retail speaking a different language, there needs to be more transparency, and the vocabulary needs to be accessible. Julian said that it’s important to help people understand where their money is invested and to encourage younger people to be more engaged. And most importantly – keep a positive attitude. 

The day came to a close with a final panel discussing an issue that can’t be ignored by investors any more – climate adaptation. Jonny Casey (Verture) made the very important point that climate adaptation is everyone’s responsibility. Even if we reach Net Zero tomorrow, we will still feel the effects of the climate crisis. Eric Maltzer (IFM) stated that we are all increasingly aware of the climate crisis and that we need to put money and effort into long term solutions, which is where investors come in. I feel this was a good note to end the day on as it made it clear that there are many issues to face but as an industry, we can tackle these head on and really make a difference with our investment decisions.  

It was a full day of meaningful dialogue, big ideas, and shared commitment to sustainable finance. The practical takeaways, inspirational speakers (and the excellent four-cheese ravioli and brownies served at lunch) made for a memorable experience.