Impressions from the second Sustainable Finance Summit Hamburg

7 October 2025

Photo: Jennifer Kowallik

The second Sustainable Finance Summit Hamburg, which took place on October 6, 2025, at the Patriotische Gesellschaft, was a successful mix of practical contributions and academic insights on sustainable finance. The discussion focused on the question: ESG backlash? Or now more than ever? 

The event moderated by Yvonne Zwick (BAUM e.V.) and Prof. Timo Busch kicked off with welcoming remarks from Finance Senator Dr. Andreas Dressel and Second Mayor Katharina Fegebank. The subsequent presentations and discussions addressed important topics such as the need for incentives for sustainable investment, the importance of transparency, and the need for uniform ESG standards. Prof. Bob Eccles' keynote speech also emphasized the importance of double materiality in addressing the challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss. 

The interactive discussion between Eccles and the audience was followed by a number of short technical presentations, including a fiscal policy assessment of sustainable finance by Katharina Beck, fiscal policy spokesperson for the Green Party in the German Bundestag. 

The tenor of the event: It is now more important than ever to move forward together as pioneers. There must be no culture war over climate protection; instead, there is a need to act pragmatically and in a goal-oriented manner. The mindset of the participants creates good conditions for this.

Many thanks to the organizers, especially the FCH, SFRG, and Umweltpartnerschaft, for a great event.