Based in Germany, the European Organization for Sustainable Development (EOSD), is a globally recognized body that has in its unique charter the purpose of developing strategies, programs and initiatives and undertaking projects that contribute to implementing the EU Strategy for Sustainable Development. It is one of the oldest global players in sustainable banking and finance, delivering highly impactful targeted initiatives for creating a sustainable economy.
In the field of banking and finance, EOSD has been playing an important role in embedding sustainability across the financial sector and welcomes financial institutions that are committed to achieve high profitability through meaningfully serving society, making the economy green, inclusive and technologically advanced and protecting the environment and climate and preserving and enriching the biodiversity. It has partnerships with government institutions, strategically important associations, and key players in the financial sector to fast-track sustainable economic development and environmental protection. It has become a recognised and well-respected enabler of sustainability worldwide.
EOSD are also a strong figure within the areas of education and human capital development. The body works with its partners around the globe to promote embedding sustainability into education systems at all levels. Through developing strategies and tools, designing and implementing initiatives for human capital development, and bringing academics, policymakers, businesses, and other stakeholders on board, EOSD help educational institutions and industry in their transformation to embrace sustainability. Additionally, It is the hosting organization of the globally known flagship conference – The International Greening Education Event.
The history of EOSD dates back to 2007, while its Europe-wide activities started in 2010 when institutional partners from Belgium, England, France, Germany, Ireland, and the Netherlands united under an EU-funded initiative to stimulate the innovation capacity of SMEs and to support the transition to a low-carbon and sustainable economy.
Since 2011, the EOSD’s milestones include the launch of the Sustainability Standards and Certification Initiative (SSCI) for Value-Driven Financial Institutions. It is the first and only initiative worldwide enabling financial institutions to embrace sustainability holistically, across the board in their organizations. SSCI delivers a holistic, robust, evolving, and locally sensitive set of standards to make value-driven financial institutions resilient and profitable.
Sustainability Certification enables those institutions to be highly competitive in an increasingly crowded financial sector and clearly distinguishes them from those institutions that have not fully embraced sustainability or are practicing (quite often unintentionally) green and social “washing”.
In accomplishing its mission, the EOSD works collectively with several partners located within Europe and across the world and continues to establish new relationships with governments and organizations.
We are pleased to welcome EOSD as a media partner of FutureBusiness.
Over the coming months we shall be focusing on some editorial areas that are important to the EOSD. We have commenced with a number of interviews with the CEO of the EOSD, Arshad Rab, discussing various topics such as: environmental governance and key sustainability trends; availability of materials and energy efficiency; pathways to net zero and sustainability progress.