As a result of external pressures and internal adjustments, banks have started to consider sustainability in their value chains. What started with a focus on internal processes, use of materials and energy consumption, has now developed into a sophisticated system which considers environmental, social, and governmental (ESG) criteria. Structures like the Equator Principles and sector policies helped banks to place an even higher emphasis on sustainability. After all, they can influence issues like climate change, poverty, and labor rights significantly by evaluating their borrowers’ sustainability practices. The current sustainability efforts of banks are only sufficient if they do embed sustainability in the core business. While voluntary standards helped to raise the bar, the real opportunity is to apply sustainability through positive impact financing. Banks are uniquely positioned to move from financing the economy to financing positive impacts and sustainable value creation.