On Monday this week a consortium of thirteen investment banks announced their support for a set of “Green Bond Principles” that are intended as voluntary guidelines to encourage greater and more consistent transparency, disclosure and integrity in the development of the burgeoning Green Bond market.

Green Bonds are a category of debt instruments issued by multilateral development agencies and other commercial project development financiers the proceeds of which are applied exclusively to projects that promote climate or other environmental sustainability.  Projects that have tapped Green Bond funding include renewable energy projects, energy efficiency retrofits, clean water resources and sustainable waste management projects.  These instruments provide a vehicle for investors in fixed income securities to support clean energy and other sustainability initiatives.  According to a Reuters report, over $10 billion in Green Bonds were issued in 2013.

The Green Bond Principles issued this week provide specific guidelines for designating, disclosing, managing and reporting on the proceeds of a Green Bond.  For example, the principles call on Green Bond issuers to specify clearly:

  • the types of projects in which the proceeds may be invested,
  • the process that will be used for selecting and evaluating projects,
  • how the bond proceeds will be managed and tracked through the investments, and
  • the frequency and manner in which this information will be reported to the bond investors.

A copy of the Green Bond Principles appears here.

The new guidelines were developed with input from issuers, investors and environmental groups through a drafting committee led by Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, Citibank, Crédit Agricole and JPMorgan Chase and coordinated by the non-profit advocacy group Ceres.  Other investment banks that announced support for the Green Bank Principles include BNP Paribas, Daiwa, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, HSBC, Mizuho Securities, Morgan Stanley, Rabobank and SEB.

Photo of W. Andrew Jack W. Andrew Jack

Andy Jack is a broad gauge corporate and securities lawyer who leads multidisciplinary teams to help clients achieve complex business objectives and solve complex business problems.

Andy often serves in outside general counsel or senior strategist roles working closely on strategic matters with…

Andy Jack is a broad gauge corporate and securities lawyer who leads multidisciplinary teams to help clients achieve complex business objectives and solve complex business problems.

Andy often serves in outside general counsel or senior strategist roles working closely on strategic matters with C-suites and boards. His practice spans mergers and acquisitions, strategic alliances and joint ventures, venture capital, capital markets, securities compliance, corporate governance counseling, crisis management and dispute settlements.

With deep experience in the energy, diversified industrials, transportation, technology, sports and hospitality industries, much of Andy’s recent transactional and advisory work focuses on issues arising from global sustainability trends and ESG considerations, including the energy transition, vehicle electrification and advanced mobility.

Some examples of this trending work include:

  • Energy
    • Structuring and negotiating joint ventures to produce sustainable aviation fuels and to develop and deploy shared resources to respond to offshore well blowouts.
    • Advising on a carbon capture project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.
    • M&A, finance, capital raising and commercial projects for solar PV panel suppliers.
    • Representing corporate offtakers in virtual power purchase agreements to procure renewable energy in support of wind and solar power projects.
    • Advising on U.S. public policy matters affecting the energy transition.
  • Vehicle Electrification and Advanced Mobility
    • A capital markets transaction for an industry leader in advanced mobility.
    • Multiple venture capital financing rounds for an electric truck manufacturer.
    • Joint venture restructuring and M&A transactions for EV battery manufacturers.
    • Collaboration agreements among vehicle electrification technology providers and OEMs.
    • M&A of advanced vehicle components suppliers and engineering service providers.
  • Other industries
    • Advising on board governance structures to address ESG and Sustainability oversight.
    • Assisting clients in developing voluntary sustainability reports and improving SEC reports and proxy statements to address these topics.
    • Responding to shareholder proposals on various ESG issues.

Andy co-chairs the firm’s multidisciplinary global Energy Industry Group and multidisciplinary Sustainability Solutions Initiative. He also serves as pro bono outside general counsel to the American Council on Renewable Energy and as a member of the World Resources Institute Global Leadership Council. With this background and experience, Andy frequently speaks at industry conferences and publishes on these topics. He also serves as an editor of the firm’s Inside Energy & Environment blog

He is Chambers-ranked in Corporate M&A & Private Equity, where clients report that Andy “gives practical advice with commercially reasonable solutions to problems.” He also has been ranked in Legal 500, both for Energy – Renewable/Alternative and Mergers & Acquisitions.

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