Prof. Alexander Wagner x Richard Ibghy + Marilou Lemmens: Sustainable Finance

“Put your money in your mouth” is a wearable work of art that reflects on the research conducted by Prof. Alexander Wagner and his colleagues in 2024 and published under the title “Do investors care about biodiversity?”

The back of the t-shirt presents an abstract graphic based on data collected by the researchers. It consists of two overlapping histograms: one presenting the biodiversity footprint of companies which mentioned biodiversity in their earnings conference calls, and the other, those that didn’t. A third colour emerges from the areas where these two groups overlap. This suggests that there is no correlation between a company’s footprint and their tendency to mention biodiversity or not.

On the front of the t-shirt, one can read “Put your money in your mouth,” a poetic alteration of the expression “Put your money where your mouth is,” which suggests that someone should show by their actions, and not just their words, what they support or believe in.

The combination of the text and the woven graphic allow for diverse interpretations and reactions. It can also inspire reflections or discussions about the difference between what is said and done in relation to biodiversity, in particular, by companies.

More information on this research — including evidence that investors are beginning to price the impact of companies and their dependence on nature — is available under: www.alex-wagner.com.

Prof. Dr. Alexander Wagner –  Professor for Finance of the Department of Finance at the University of Zurich
Richard Ibghy + Marilou Lemmens - Interdisciplinary artists

Produced by Textil AG in Switzerland with Biella Yarn.