Feature Article | Sustainable Banking: Dame Alison Rose’s Approach to Climate Change and Corporate Responsibility

Lindsey Schlandt
Jan 8
1 min read

Gouache-style illustration of two business professionals walking and talking in a bright, modern building with large windows. The woman on the left has shoulder-length black hair and wears a cream blazer over a teal top, holding a red folder. The man on the right has short gray hair and a trimmed beard, wearing a navy suit and holding a gray folder. They smile as they converse, with sunlight pouring in and casting reflections on the glossy floor. Lush indoor plants and visible solar panels outside the window hint at a sustainable workplace. The mood is collaborative, energetic, and optimistic.

Dame Alison Rose explains how she put NatWest at the forefront of sustainable finance with a three-pillar climate strategy: cut the bank’s own emissions, reduce exposure to high-carbon sectors, and fund the transition at scale. She details how NatWest set net zero and net positive targets, pushed oil and gas clients to produce credible transition plans, and tied lending incentives to sustainability milestones. Rose also breaks down the bank’s green financing push, plus the practical tools and funding pathways SMEs need to decarbonise, including the economic upside of UK home retrofitting.

Read the full article here.