Sustainable Development Goals

In September 2015, the United Nations set the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030. It concerns 17 ambitious goals in the areas of climate, poverty, health care and education, among other things. Achieving these SDGs by 2030 requires $5,000 to $7,000 billion in annual investment.

This is not possible without capital from institutional and private investors. These goals were created as a global call to action for positive change. We can all participate in that action. The goals recognize that all social and environmental goals are interrelated and affect everyone in the international community. It's about what the whole world needs to do to make sure we have a livable planet and reduce inequality. All goals are interconnected. For example, climate change is related to our food system, economic growth, access to clean energy and our soils. We can no longer think and act in single factors. Everything hangs together. Reducing poverty, increasing equality, providing access to clean energy and creating more sustainable cities all require some form of financial investment.

Impact investment plays a crucial role as private capital is used to tackle societal problems. For impact investing to succeed, you need to look very closely at the nature of the investment that leaves the investor wondering, "What does my money do for a cleaner planet or for equal opportunities for all?" Action must be taken from there.

The SDGs force the financial sector to look through a different lens and explore the true value of investing as well as encourage investors to think differently. The urgency to change how the financial industry views investing and how investors currently use their money is clear. We can see it in climate change, mass migration and the increasing social inequality in the world. This is an urgency that applies directly to every country and everyone - in our homes, in our families and in our communities. We can no longer close our eyes to the pressing questions of our current society.

We see a clear demand in the market, including from retail investors, for SDG investment opportunities such as impact investing. That is why it is important that impact investing becomes widely accessible and that it is possible for every investor to invest in sustainable projects that actively contribute to the realization of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. A widely accessible investment product, which immediately

invested in sustainable energy makes this possible for everyone. Investment in wind energy contributes most directly to the SDGs Affordable and Clean Energy and Climate Action. But ultimately all SDGs are interrelated, so by investing in wind energy, we are investing in the bigger picture and ultimately in a better world.