FSC at SF Climate Week 2025: Connecting Finance with Forests

At San Francisco Climate Week 2025, FSC strengthened its role in the climate finance space by engaging directly with leaders across investment, technology, and sustainability. Our main event—a co-hosted panel with Slalom Consulting—focused on how financial institutions and innovators are beginning to integrate nature-based solutions (NbS) into long-term strategies. Throughout the week, we introduced FSC’s approach to responsible forest stewardship as a practical, credible solution for aligning climate goals with real-world impact.

Highlights from the Slalom x FSC Sustainable Finance Panel 

The panel, which was moderated by Slalom, brought together experts from FSC US including President Sarah Billig, J.P. Morgan Chase, and Earth Finance to explore the growing interest in NbS as part of climate-positive investment strategies. 

Key themes included: 

• shifting priorities from short-term financial returns to sustaining long-term value, with a focus on supporting ecosystem resilience and credible carbon strategies; 
• the need for market integrity and transparency, particularly around carbon credit verification and pricing; 
• the role of emerging technology in scaling natural solutions, including applications for wildfire mitigation and land restoration; 
• the importance of community engagement to ensure long-term success of NbS projects and equitable outcomes. 

This conversation affirmed FSC certification’s value as a tool that can help investors and companies identify high-integrity nature projects.

Advancing Nature-Based Solutions Through Partnerships 

In addition to the panel, FSC’s on the ground presence opened new opportunities for collaboration. By showing how FSC’s certification system can support Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) goals and climate targets, we engaged with: 

• climate-focused tech platforms and registries 
• impact investors exploring NbS 
• sustainability professionals seeking practical standards to guide action. 

These dialogues confirmed growing interest in tools that bring trust, traceability, and impact to nature-based investments and lay the groundwork for scaling collaboration across industries in the coming months.  

Bringing Climate Finance Back to Nature 

One session that resonated widely—“Unlocking Hidden Climate Finance Levers”—emphasised how trillions in capital tied up in banking, insurance, and retirement funds could be redirected to support regenerative systems. Participants were encouraged to: 

• divest from fossil fuel investments 
• reinvest in climate-positive alternatives 
• engage through shareholder advocacy. 

Speakers included leaders from Carbon Collective, Sierra Club Foundation, Premiums for the Planet, and Switchboard. Participants were encouraged to use tools such as FossilFreeFunds.org and shareholder voting tools that align with climate-positive policies. 

We are encouraged to see attention turning to the gaps in climate finance and see a role for FSC in bridging the gap between investors and on-the-ground impact.

Conclusion 

SF Climate Week 2025 was a valuable opportunity to raise awareness of how responsible forest management can support global climate goals—not as an optional add-on, but as a central part of the transition. By engaging with leaders in finance and tech, FSC continues to build momentum for a future where forests are recognised—and funded—as essential climate infrastructure.  

Interested in learning more? Reach out to s.london@fsc.org who can connect you.