Green finance roundtable - funding the mid-market

On 11 March 2021, we held a roundtable with experts from the green finance community to discuss:

• Who is green finance for and how are businesses making use of it?
• What part does green finance play in helping a city like Manchester meet its zero carbon ambition? What’s its future potential? 
• How do ESG factors impact credit rating decisions and investor appetite?
• Historically, going green has been seen as a cost. How do we turn it into an opportunity?
• What do you see as the biggest challenges to making green finance mainstream?

Michael El Gawly, solicitor at TLT, said: "ESG is being pushed up the agenda for many reasons, including stakeholder pressure, company policy, regulation...so we need to accelerate the take-up of green finance and overcome hurdles like measurability and monitoring of data." 

Paul Crighton, partner at TLT, said: "We need to get away from the myth that this is a cost to businesses. At the top end of the market, companies that put ESG at the forefront of their strategy and engage with it are outperforming their peers. There are benefits - hopefully financially but also more broadly - for mid-market companies."  

To read their full comments and those from EY, Fitch Ratings, Manchester Climate Change Partnership, London Stock Exchange Group, Green Finance Institute, Parently Group and Bridges Fund Management, visit North West Business Insider. 

Thanks to all of these organisations for taking part. 

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This publication is intended for general guidance and represents our understanding of the relevant law and practice as at March 2021. Specific advice should be sought for specific cases. For more information see our terms & conditions.