Nearly half of all Swiss pension assets are now included in sustainability reporting, according to a new PwC Switzerland study commissioned by the Swiss Pension Fund Association (ASIP).

PwC's study found that 46 per cent of pension assets and 45 per cent of insured members are now included in ESG disclosures.

According to PwC, climate considerations have become a dominant theme in Swiss pension reporting. The survey found that 38 per cent of pension funds now include a decarbonisation strategy as a binding objective in their investment policies, while a further 26 per cent reference decarbonisation measures without formal commitments.

Despite the positive results, the study also found room for improvement in how ESG standards are implemented. Only a limited number of pension funds currently report the full set of baseline indicators or transparency ratios outlined in the ASIP framework.

However, almost half of the schemes that have not yet published an ESG report are planning to do so within the next 12 months.

ASIP introduced a voluntary ESG reporting standard aimed at improving transparency and comparability across Switzerland’s occupational pension sector on 1 January 2023.

It described the framework as "widely accepted, and cross-fund comparable", enabling pension funds to incorporate their ESG activities into their reporting.

"They can transparently show, among other things, how they invest and what milestones they have achieved, or still plan to achieve, on their path toward sustainable investing,” ASIP stated.

ASIP said it will continue to monitor developments closely and refine the reporting standard as needed.

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