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Ethical investment funds top $20 trillion
19/05/2010
More than $20 trillion is now invested in ethical investment funds, new figures from the United Nations (UN) have shown.
The amount of money monitored by the UN's Principle for Responsible Investment has swelled exponentially in the last five years, as investors' motivation has shifted from purely monetary gains to something more principled and ethical.
Particular areas of growth include timber investment, where people put their money into forestry projects that will give them a long-term financial reward as well as contributing to environmental sustainability efforts.
A spokesman for ethical investment research company, Experts in Responsible Investment Solutions, said, "In the same way that more of us are buying fair trade coffee, or switching to a renewable energy provider, more people want to apply their ethics to the financial products they buy.
"The financial crisis has accelerated this further by focusing people's attention on how their money is lent on or invested."
They said the recession has emphasised the growing value of long-term investments that consider the effects of forthcoming challenges like climate change and renewable energy matters.
Funds in Europe are setting the standard for the model, with a 53% of the global investment in socially responsible investing, according to European Forum on Social Investment Funds.
The amount of money monitored by the UN's Principle for Responsible Investment has swelled exponentially in the last five years, as investors' motivation has shifted from purely monetary gains to something more principled and ethical.
Particular areas of growth include timber investment, where people put their money into forestry projects that will give them a long-term financial reward as well as contributing to environmental sustainability efforts.
A spokesman for ethical investment research company, Experts in Responsible Investment Solutions, said, "In the same way that more of us are buying fair trade coffee, or switching to a renewable energy provider, more people want to apply their ethics to the financial products they buy.
"The financial crisis has accelerated this further by focusing people's attention on how their money is lent on or invested."
They said the recession has emphasised the growing value of long-term investments that consider the effects of forthcoming challenges like climate change and renewable energy matters.
Funds in Europe are setting the standard for the model, with a 53% of the global investment in socially responsible investing, according to European Forum on Social Investment Funds.
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