Expertise – and our specialisation in ethical investment – is a key part of the service we provide to our clients. Maintaining this expertise is both exciting and essential! We work hard to understand how businesses and markets are responding to the challenges of sustainability.
Talking with industry leaders is a great way to keep up-to-date. There are over 100 ethical funds available to UK investors, and at Investing Ethically we work with most. In November, Charlie Thomas, Jupiter Ecology’s Fund Manager, visited us at our offices in Norwich. It was an inspiring and informative session and we thought we’d share with you some of what we discussed.
Lisa reflected: “I find it fascinating how global trends are driving investment decisions. We know that issues such as the expansion of the world’s ‘middle classes’ are creating huge pressures on water, energy and other resources. More and more of us are aware, for example, of the problems of plastic waste. Of the 6.3 billion tons that humans have created since 1950, only 9% has been recycled (and China banned its imports of plastic waste in 2018). However, companies (and investors) are increasingly focussing on sustainable solutions to these challenges. Jupiter Ecology, for example, invests significantly in companies in the ‘Circular Economy’ – finding new approaches to the redesign, re-use and recycling of resources. This is a subject we have written about before and is one of the key ideas helping businesses and consumers move towards a more sustainable economy.”
Hannah commented that: “Charlie’s knowledge was extensive, and he is clearly passionate about what ethical investment can deliver. It was exciting to learn about developments in clean energy, such as offshore wind. New technologies and ships mean that wind-farms can be constructed in deeper waters and year-round – so increasing efficiencies and lower costs. The next generations of offshore turbines will be as tall as the Shard and – at 10MW – will generate power for 25,000 homes.”
Phil reflected: “Given the scale of the social and environmental challenges our world faces, it’s too easy to feel despondent about the future. Personally, my passion for ethical investment has always been based on the belief it can make a difference. Discussions with industry leaders such as Charlie very much confirm this view. More and more, change is being driven by companies (and perhaps less so by governments), as they recognise that long-term economic success can only come from truly sustainable business strategies.”
