Saving and investing news

Ethical investments growing 'significantly'

6 June, 2007

Jason Hollands, head of group communications for F&C Asset Management, said such funds were 'a very fast growing sector', with a widening base of investors.

Hollands suggested that although historically ethical investments were a niche product, nowadays more and more new funds were being opened up this way.

"Originally you tended to find that buyers of these funds were people who had very strong religious or moral reasons to want ethical investments – people like Quakers, for example," he explained. "Now it has become much more mainstream. The public care about these things, but they're also starting to realise that in pure investment terms, these funds actually perform quite well."

Hollands added that a lot of investors are realising that they're not necessarily compromising the return they might make on an investment by opting for ethical funds, suggesting they 'can have their cake and eat it'.

There are around 90 ethical investments funds available to UK investors, compared to just one back in 1984 when the concept was first introduced.

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