Media Release Press Release

Press Release

Credit Suisse expands sustainability offering for corporate clients

New partnership with act Cleantech Agentur Schweiz

Credit Suisse is expanding its existing sustainability-related advisory offering for corporate clients, thereby helping companies transition to a more sustainable business model. This is also the context in which its new partnership with act Cleantech Agentur Schweiz should be understood.

Thanks to its collaboration with act Cleantech Agentur Schweiz (act), Credit Suisse is able to offer its corporate clients even more comprehensive sustainability-related services. As a strategic partner of Credit Suisse, act helps Swiss SMEs to improve their energy efficiency and decarbonize their business models.

With act's assistance, companies can elaborate their own bespoke decarbonization strategy with specific measures. In addition, act offers support in connection with the setting of targets together with the federal government and cantons, as well as with the reimbursement of energy taxes. In addition to saving on energy costs, this also helps companies take another step toward meeting the requirements of an economy with net zero emissions.

Lorenz Schaller, Head of the Corporate Banking Sustainability team at Credit Suisse Switzerland: "The partnership with act Cleantech Agentur Schweiz enables us to offer our clients even more comprehensive sustainability services from a single source. It means that we can now help companies to meet current and future social challenges in an area that goes well beyond traditional banking services, while at the same time contributing to a less emission-intensive and more resource-saving economy."

Customized sustainability advice

In the Swiss Corporate Clients business, a dedicated Sustainability team has been set up to provide extensive knowledge of external sustainability rating agencies and support front-office employees, among other things. Client advice is provided through the involvement of specialized internal and external partners, in all cases tailored to the respective needs of companies, who are provided with support in the development of sustainability targets and their integration into corporate strategy.

Andreas Gerber, Head of Corporate Clients Switzerland and member of the Executive Board of Credit Suisse (Switzerland) Ltd.: "Sustainability is a strategic priority in Credit Suisse's Corporate Clients business. We are now expanding our offering in this area with a Sustainability team that bundles all our existing expertise and drives forward the development of this area. We are therefore even better placed to support companies in their transition to a more sustainable business model."

Sustainable financing solutions: green finance and sustainability-linked finance

The bank has a broad sustainability-related financing offering, where the emphasis is on structuring financing instruments that are linked to sustainability targets. Credit Suisse offers sustainable financing solutions in the context of sustainability-linked finance and green finance (see overview in box). Sustainability-linked financing supports environmentally and socially sustainable business activities as well as sustainable growth. Green financing is specifically ring-fenced, and primarily focuses on environmental issues such as combating climate change. Integrating specific environmental or social objectives into financing instruments reinforces a company's sustainability strategy.

More information on Credit Suisse's sustainability-related advisory and financing offering for companies and on sustainability for companies in general can be found here: credit-suisse.com/sustainability-for-companies