世界各國為了提升國家經濟競爭力，不斷的開發國內資源以及建設基礎設施，而這些大型資源開發項目及基礎建設的計畫，都需要仰賴金融機構提供貸款─意即專案融資，始能完成建設。因此社會大眾便認為金融機構同意專案融資的決定，是間接造成這些環境與社會破壞的原因，金融機構不該作為旁觀者的角色而脫身，而是負有積極管理並降低這些專案融資對環境與社會造成危害的責任。在這樣的輿論壓力下，不論是公部門的金融機構，又或是私營的商業銀行，這些金融機構的環境與社會規範從1980年皆不斷地如雨後春筍般的相繼成立。而除了金融機構自行創設的環境與社會規範，國際組織及國家也開始紛紛制定金融機構的環境與社會規範。
本文以金融機構自行設立的環境與社會規範出發，說明這些規範所進行的逐步修正及發展方向，並進一步分析近年以國際組織甚至是以國家為主導的永續金融政策的推動及規範的制訂。最後將推論出全球金融機構間的環境與社會規範，不再僅係以無法律拘束效力的國際軟法形式存在；而是一面藉由逐步修正地方式從軟法硬化、一面在國家的政策推動下逐漸通往硬法的滾動式發展。
In order to enhance national economic competitiveness, countries around the world keep developing domestic resources and building infrastructures. It needs to rely on financial institutions to provide loans, that is, project finance, for those large-scale resource development projects and infrastructure projects. Therefore, civil societies blame on financial institutions for the decisions they had made to agree to project finance which is the cause of environmental and social damages. They also advocate that financial institutions should not be allowed to act as a bystander, but rather have the responsibility to actively manage and reduce the environmental and social harm caused by these project finance. Under the pressure of criticism, the environmental and social standards of those whether public sector financial institutions or private commercial banks have been constantly developed since 1980. In addition to the environmental and social standards created by financial institutions, international organizations and countries have begun to formulate their own environmental and social standards for financial institutions. This article starts with explaining the history of revision and direction of development of environmental and social standards established by financial institutions. Further, I analyze the regulations about environmental and social issues in financial sector that established by countries and international organizations which are promoting sustainable finance policies. Finally, I try to infer a conclusion that the environmental and social standards between global financial institutions are no longer only in the form of international soft law without the effect of legal binding; but on the one hand, hardening by gradually revising, and on the one hand, also gradually driven to rolling development of hard law under the promotion of national policies.
