The circular economy is gaining momentum as a transformative approach to reducing waste and maximizing resource efficiency. Yet, scaling circularity requires businesses and investors to align their strategies and priorities.
This session will explore ways in which corporates can think about transitioning from linear to circular models, the role of investors in driving this shift, and the opportunities for collaboration across sectors. Moderated by Judson Berkey, Lead Advocacy and Nature, Chief Sustainability Office at UBS, the discussion will feature Xavier Mahue, CEO of Retripa SA, Christoph W. Frei, Partner at Emerald Ventures, leading Emerald’s Global Energy Transformation Fund, and Mirjam Frei, Head of CIC Sustainability, Corporate & Institutional Clients at UBS. Together, they will share insights on ways to unlock the potential of circularity and support a more sustainable future.
Join us for real-world examples and explore actionable strategies to align business and investor agendas in scaling the circular economy.
A keynote moment to reflect on how far we have come since Paris, the finance’s evolving role, and what must be done now to deliver on nature and climate goals, building bridges between actions from governments and private actors/investors. Ten years after the Paris Agreement’s adoption and a few weeks before COP30, global finance and policy leaders are coming together to assess progress and plan the path ahead.
This session will convene changemakers to:
• Evaluate successes and remaining gaps in limiting global warming.
• Reflect on lessons learned and emerging challenges in sustainable finance
• Explore strategies to accelerate climate action over the next decade and collaboration between public and private actors.
This session will share the experiences of various Luxembourg actors involved in inclusive finance, demonstrating how they have utilized different de-risking mechanisms to increase their investments and attract new investors to support their activities.
We will thoroughly explore multiple approaches including:
– Hedging solutions
– Insurance mechanisms
– Technical assistance programs
– Guarantees
– First loss provisions
The discussion will examine both the positive effects and limitations of these mechanisms, providing concrete recommendations for stakeholders interested in increasing their commitments to inclusive finance.
Join us to gain valuable insights from practitioners who have successfully navigated risk mitigation in the inclusive finance sector.
Is conscious capital a utopian ideal or the future of finance? This panel brings together DIONZ (female) Members who are Principals, Partners, and Owners of single and multi-family offices – visionary wealth owners and creators – to explore how capital can be aligned with purpose, values, and long-term impact. We’ll unpack the tensions between profit and our future, challenge outdated paradigms, and ask: Is conscious capital idealism, or is it inevitable?
Note: This session is for the accredited media of Building Bridges 2025 only. Interested journalists can contact media@buildingbridges.org for accreditation.
This session is targeted at media and communication professionals who have a good understanding of sustainability, ESG and reporting requirements and are interested in enhancing their impact and leadership in this area.
The panel discussion aims to demonstrate the business case for embedding sustainability within media organisations. It will delve into the practical challenges and opportunities to do this, and what would it take to make news organisations investible for impact investors.
The objective is for participants to understand the societal and business imperatives for media to prioritize sustainability even and perhaps more than ever in times of disruption, crisis and pushbacks. They will learn from practitioners how they might build on their approach and develop a strong strategic approach to sustainability, also by drawing on best practices from other sectors. They will gain deeper insights on the knowledge, skills, and competencies needed to effectively navigate and lead in this complex landscape.
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The session will be followed by a short media briefing about key sessions throughout the day and conclude before the High-Level Plenary on Insurance.
Long-term portfolios, particularly in infrastructure and real estate, face growing vulnerability as climate risks increasingly reshape asset valuations. This session will bring together leading asset owners, asset managers, and transition experts to explore how physical and transition risks are influencing investment decisions for assets with life cycles extending 70+ years. Panelists will share current approaches, tools, and methodologies while highlighting persistent gaps in forward-looking, granular data.
Experts will present innovative models that incorporate climate scenarios, carbon pricing, physical risk, and insurance costs. These models aim to bridge the data gap by connecting micro-level insights with portfolio-level asset allocation strategies. Together, these perspectives will offer practical guidance for building more resilient, future-ready portfolios in the face of accelerating climate change. By integrating these approaches, investors can better align capital allocation with long-term climate resilience, ensuring that infrastructure, real estate, and other long-lived assets remain viable and value-generating over decades to come.
Segment 1 – Bringing Nature, People, and the Transition to Life:
A film and discussion showcasing how Paris Agreement Article 6 is designed to unlock capital flows that improve livelihoods and safeguard the planet.
Segment 2 – From Paris to Belém: A Decade of Climate Action:
A reflection on progress since the Paris Agreement and a forward-looking conversation on ambition, challenges, and opportunities for the next decade.
Segment 3 – Reflections & Call to Action:
Closing reflections and a collective call to action for the Road to Belém.
Voluntary and regulated carbon credit markets are essential to achieving global climate goals particularly in the wake of COP 29’s Article 6 developments. High-quality carbon markets are rapidly gaining traction as a significant investible opportunity, particularly through the development on high-quality carbon credits derived from nature-based removal projects. These markets offer a dual benefit of helping companies stay on track to reduce their emissions and meet net zero targets but also generate financial returns, making them attractive to a broad range of investors and finally demonstrate biodiversity gains.
As global regulation around carbon markets tightens, demand for credible carbon credits is expected to surge. However, unlocking the full potential of carbon removals requires an integrated value chain or “bridge building” which spans from project sourcing in collaboration with local communities and host governments in the Global South, to the use of digital monitoring and verification technologies that ensure transparency and performance. Robust governance and enabling policies, asset securitization, and the ability to quantify both biodiversity impacts and benefits to local stakeholders are equally critical. This session will highlight scalable and replicable investment opportunities that align environmental integrity with financial and social value.
This plenary will examine how insurance is the cornerstone of economic stability and the foundation of the capital stack, essential to mobilizing finance and ensuring business continuity and growth. As climate and nature-related disasters become structural rather than rare, the threat of an uninsurable world is rising. Over the past five years, natural catastrophe losses have exceeded $100 billion annually, more than double the average from two decades ago, pushing premiums higher and making certain physical assets and geographies increasingly difficult to insure. By 2030, premiums for physical climate risks are projected to rise by 50%, reaching up to $250 billion annually. Without a strategic rethinking of insurance solutions, economic activity and investments are at risk of stalling, threatening livelihoods, supply chains and vulnerable communities worldwide.
High-level experts will showcase how insurance is already playing a key role in safeguarding economic resilience and catalyzing the net-zero transition. Real-world solutions from the public and private sectors will showcase how innovative insurance solutions and partnerships are de-risking and incentivizing investments in climate-adaptation such as low-carbon infrastructure and climate-vulnerable agriculture supply chains. As an example, $19tn is already committed to climate finance through 2030, with over $10tn of that requiring adequate insurance coverage.
In a time of growing geopolitical complexity and public debate around ESG, Building Bridges 2025 is proud to convene a Summit that brings clarity, courage, and ambition to the forefront of sustainable finance.