The City of Malmö is the third largest city in Sweden with a population of 362,133 (as of December 2023) and the fastest growing in the country. As the population continues to grow, so does the city’s focus on climate neutrality and sustainable development. Malmö has adopted ambitious clime-neutrality goals with an overarching objective of a just and inclusive transition. The Environmental Programme for Malmö 2021-2030 sets out 12 climate and environmental targets, which include the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 70% and consumption-based emissions by 50%. In support of these goals, Malmö has implemented a Green Bond Framework to finance climate-oriented and environmentally friendly investments.
Green bond framework
As cities are prioritising widespread and large-scale climate and environmental goals that require substantial investment, sustainable financing is becoming increasingly important. Building on Malmö’s experience with the capital markets programmes, in 2017 the city’s political leadership tasked the Finance Department to investigate green bonds as a potential instrument for raising capital for investments that benefit the climate and environment. It resulted in the development of the Green Bond Framework and the issuance of their first green bonds in 2018.
The Green Bond Framework enables capital-raising and investment for new and existing projects with environmental benefits in the city. The net returns of the green bonds issued are used to finance (in part or in whole) a select group of eligible projects and assets that must comply with the Green Terms; applicable national laws, regulations, and policies; and guidelines within the City of Malmö. This pool of existing assets or future green projects is nominated by Malmö’s business units, the Administrative Department, and the Environmental Department. The prospective projects are then evaluated by a cross-departmental Sustainable Finance Committee, which selects a set of projects that align with the city’s goals and promote environmental protection agendas in 8 areas:
- Clean transportation
- Climate change adaptation
- Energy efficiency
- Environmentally sustainable management of living resources
- Green and energy efficient buildings
- Pollution prevention and control
- Renewable energy
- Sustainable water and waste management
By the end of 2023, the City of Malmö’s green bonds totalled SEK 4.5 billion (€398.8 million), making up 29% of the city’s total borrowing as well as 51% of its bond loans. More than half of Malmö’s green investments (62%) have gone into energy-efficient green buildings. A sizeable portion has also been channelled into sustainable water and waste management projects (13%), sustainable transport (7%), renewable energy solutions (6%), and energy efficiency projects (5%).
The Green Bond Framework has enabled Malmö to complete several flagship projects:
Greenhouse in the eco-city of Augustenborg
And 'super cycle' routes.
What were the key drivers supporting the implementation?
Economic
- Good credit rating: Since 2011 the City of Malmö has had the highest long-term credit rating of AAA/Stable, as well as the highest credit rating for loans with shorter maturities, A-1+.
- Capabilities: the finance experts at the City of Malmö have more than 10 years of experience working with capital markets programmes and have an established collaboration with commercial banks and finance advisors for setting up bond frameworks.
Political
- Political mandate & support: the initiative for the development of the Green Bond Framework and related processes in Malmö came from a political mandate.
- Environmental strategy: The selection of eligible projects/assets are oriented around Malmö’s climate targets and strategies.
Governance
- Cross-departmental collaboration: City departments and entities in Malmö have collaborated effectively during the implementation of the Green Bond Framework. Input and communication from various experts have proven to be crucial throughout the entire process, from the selection of eligible assets to the reports to lenders.
And what were the challenges and barriers?
Technical
- Developing capability: The city's Finance Department identified the need to educate colleagues from other departments on sustainable funding and bond frameworks so that everyone is on board and understands the process fully.
- Reporting & data availability: Figuring out how to measure the impact/outcomes of the investments in a normative and tangible way and working with different departments to produce annual reports with the available data has been time-consuming and challenging for the city. Currently, Malmö relies on a 'best effort basis' when presenting data and impacts within the annual reports.
Legal
- Legal restrictions: In Sweden, funds obtained through bond loans can only be invested in physical assets, limiting the flexibility and overall impact of the Green Bond Framework.
- Changing legislation: Continued evolution of EU directives and national legal frameworks requires adjustments in the established procedures or revision of bond frameworks. For example, the EU Taxonomy Regulation that came into effect on 12 July 2020 required changes in the reporting procedures for green investment projects. Notably, the European Green Bond Standard will be a framework game-changer in the upcoming years.
Potential for replication
Green bond frameworks have been used by many entities including other European cities. A green bond framework is ultimately useful for larger cities within countries with mature green finance markets. It is a suitable investment-raising mechanism for municipalities that intend to and are stable enough to borrow sizable amounts of money, have stable financial conditions and credit ratings that attract investors, and want to diversify their funding sources.
Green bond frameworks are more replicable in cities with established climate-oriented policies or action plans that can be applied directly to the city’s respective bond framework(s). Additionally, municipalities with a supportive political regulatory environment would make the interplay between various partners and entities more efficient. To make a green bond framework run smoothly and efficiently, both the internal and external entities involved in the process need to be properly informed about the complex intricacies of the respective green financing framework.
The city has additionally developed a Social Bond Framework (2023), which addresses social challenges through socially sustainable investments in the areas of sustainable living environments; health, culture and leisure; education and work; and integration, trust and safety. This allows the city to take a next step to approach sustainability holistically.