Study on the potential of green bond finance for resource-efficient investments

Green bonds could play a key role in helping to finance the investment needed to achieve the EU’s 2030 Climate and Energy objectives and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This report presents an analysis of the development and functioning of the green bond market, including the main actors and sectors, with a specific focus on financing investments in improved resource efficiency. It summarizes the key bottlenecks limiting the development of the market in specific countries and sectors. It identifies a set of possible public sector measures to overcome these bottlenecks on the national as well as the EU level, supported by examples of good practices.

The "Study on the potential of green bond finance for resource-efficient investments" also assesses the regulatory feasibility and expected impacts of specific standardization options on the liquidity and size of the market. Finally, the report presents a set of recommendations addressed at the EU and its Member States.

A Policy Toolbox provides additional detail on possible public sector measures on the demand and supply side. Nine country case studies support the analysis, comprising Bulgaria, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, as well as China, Mexico, Norway, and the United States