Responsible Investment News

New Zealand has provided rich pickings for Australia’s largest ethical investment fund, producing some of its best investments, according to the Kiwi who has managed its local equities for the past decade.New Zealand offers rich pickings for Australian ethical investment fund

The pendulum of public opinion is swinging toward stricter gun control in the wake of the Parkland, Florida school shooting, and an increasing number of Americans believe it’s now politically possible for Congress to take action.

But many people who actively favor stricter gun control may also be unwittingly invested in the gun industry. Here’s how that happens and what you can do about it.

Leading global measure of how companies perform on farm animal welfare shows that ‘big business’ is getting the message: animal cruelty is bad for business.

Small changes to the way you shop and run your household could save your money – and help the environment, too.

Here are eight ways that lightening your impact on the planet can be good for your wallet.

Impact investing is set to continue to grow, as many investors are interested in making their money work for good, as well as for returns.

Research shows directing capital into investments that seek both attractive returns and a measurable positive environmental and societal impact could be a US$1 trillion ($1.3 trillion) business globally by 2020. This is largely driven by Millennials who want to make a difference in the world. Studies by Morgan Stanley have found that 18- to 34-year-olds are twice as likely to invest in a portfolio or individual companies if they seek positive environmental or social impacts.

OPINION: As an investor, it's not relevant whether you believe the science of climate change stacks up.

The weight of evidence is compelling, but set that aside. The world has changed, your investments are already starting to price in climate change.

Carbon credits are now currency in today's economy and therefore a company's carbon footprint is starting to become as important as its profits, for assessing a share's value.

High carbon companies will be forced to reorganise their activities, or they will be sold down by investors.

Those positioning their investment portfolios to recognise this should win, whether global warming actually happens or not.

Last year at the United Nations, New Zealand urged The Philippines to "appropriately investigate deaths which have occurred in the course of police operations associated with the war on drugs".

Tough-talking Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs resulted in what Human Rights Watch called "an unprecedented level of killing by law enforcement" since Duterte took office in June 2016.

But even as New Zealand was signalling its dismay at extrajudicial killings in the country, the New Zealand Super Fund, our sovereign wealth fund designed to help pay tomorrow's pensions, had $2.9 million invested with The Philippines government.

Who made your T-shirt, and what were they paid for it? It’s a question that Millennial consumers care about, and so investors do too.

According to a recent AMP Capital insight, young Australians’ spending power and habits could end modern slavery in the clothing industry as they shift away from cheap but dubiously sourced garments.

AMP Capital’s responsible investment leaders’ Kristen Le Mesurier explained that investors are being influenced by Millennial concerns to push companies for change in order to meet Millennials’ moral standards.

Apple is the subject of a different activist campaign, one that could elevate the responsible investment movement beyond those concerned about climate change to those fearful about the mental wellbeing of their children.

KiwiSaver investors care if their savings cause environmental or social harm. And many more would care if major fund managers backed up their commitments to responsible investment with action.