A Banker’s Guide to Maximizing Climate Impact through Multi-Level Engagement

This guide by RMI proposes a "multi-level engagement" model for banks to maximize climate impact by coordinating efforts across client, sector, and policy levels. Based on an 'Alignment Forum' workshop involving 44 sustainable finance bankers from 17 global banks, the document argues that siloed engagement is often ineffective and that sustainability teams must act as the central coordinating body to align internal stakeholders and drive real-economy decarbonization.

• RMI proposes a "multi-level engagement" model where banks coordinate actions across client, sector, and policy levels to achieve climate-aligned outcomes. This approach aims to replace siloed efforts—where different bank teams may pursue contradictory goals, such as lobbying against regulations that would otherwise help a client reach net zero—with a strategic, outcome-oriented framework.
• Internal coordination is critical for effective engagement, and sustainability officers can use engagement mapping tools to align internal stakeholders, including risk, legal, and C-suite teams, around common goals.
• Banks require refined escalation processes to handle major clients whose business plans remain misaligned with the bank's net-zero ambitions despite engagement. These processes should provide a justification for either continuing engagement with a high-risk client or exiting the relationship due to inadequate risk-adjusted returns.
• Sector-level engagement, which involves coordinating with trade associations, civil society, and academic institutions, is a relatively new but essential tool for establishing common emissions metrics and decarbonization pathways. Examples include the Poseidon Principles for shipping and the Sustainable STEEL Principles for steelmaking.
• Sustainability teams are the essential "connective tissue" for coordinating multi-level engagement but currently lack the staff capacity and resources needed. While the long-term goal is to embed climate engagement into every banker's workflow, immediate progress depends on senior management empowering these teams with better tools and infrastructure.

APA

RMI (2023). A Banker’s Guide to Maximizing Climate Impact through Multi-Level Engagement. https://rmi.org/resources/a-bankers-guide-to-maximizing-climate-impact-through-multi-level-engagement/

Chicago

RMI. A Banker’s Guide to Maximizing Climate Impact through Multi-Level Engagement. 2023. https://rmi.org/resources/a-bankers-guide-to-maximizing-climate-impact-through-multi-level-engagement/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=A Banker’s Guide to Maximizing Climate Impact through Multi-Level Engagement |date=24 July 2023 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/a-bankers-guide-to-maximizing-climate-impact-through-multi-level-engagement/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2023bankers, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{A Banker’s Guide to Maximizing Climate Impact through Multi-Level Engagement}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2023}, month = jul, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/a-bankers-guide-to-maximizing-climate-impact-through-multi-level-engagement/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }