Sustainable Investing

Sustainability refers to something’s ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level. In terms of the business world, companies are considered “sustainable” if they create wealth and make people’s lives better without compromising the health and wealth of future generations. The goals of sustainability for businesses generally involve reducing natural resource extraction and waste generation as much as possible.

Issued by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), ISO 14001 is a set of standards clarifying the best ways for organizations to reduce their environmental footprint by adopting an effective environmental management system (EMS). As with all ISO standards, rather than a specific set of instructions, ISO 14001 must be tailored to the specific needs and circumstances of the organization adopting it. There are over 300,000 certifications to ISO 14001 in 171 countries.

The UN Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) is a UN-backed international network of investors working to achieve a sustainable global financial system by encouraging the adoption of six aspirational principles. The PRI’s mission is to promote the incorporation of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues into investment practices. The PRI is funded primarily via an annual membership fee, in addition to grants from governments, foundations, and other international organizations.

Green investing is a form of investing designed to promote positive environmental change. Companies that focus on combating pollution, conserving natural resources, and other environmentally-conscious business practices are prime candidates for green investing. There are several different avenues for investors considering green investing, including green equities, green bonds, and green funds.

Green marketing is a form of advertising designed to highlight a product or company’s environmentally sustainable qualities. As pressure mounts for companies to demonstrate their commitment to protecting the environment, green marketing has become one component of a much larger sustainable business movement. When a company fails to live up to the promises of its own green marketing, it may be criticized for using positive environmental messaging to make false or misleading advertising.

A green fund is a mutual fund or other type of investment vehicle that exclusively invests in socially conscious or environmentally friendly companies. Green funds have become popular among investors seeking both socially responsible investments and to capitalize on the uptick in green technologies. According to the Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment, registered investment companies with ESG criteria, such as mutual funds and index funds, managed $3.1 trillion in assets in 2020.

Carbon trading, also known as carbon emissions trading, refers to the buying and selling of carbon credits that allow an entity to emit a limited quantity of greenhouse gasses. Since a profit can be made by selling leftover credits, both companies and governments are incentivized to scale down their carbon emissions in order to have more permits to sell. The idea of carbon trading was based on the 1990 Clean Air Act that significantly cut sulfur pollution.