We all rely on money to live and plan for the future. But for many ethical investors, the question of building wealth runs deeper than returns. It’s not just whether investments perform, but how they perform and what kind of world that performance helps create.
For years, ethical investing was sometimes reduced to a checklist – exclude this sector, screen out that activity, tick the ESG boxes and move on. While these frameworks have value, they can feel strangely detached. They answer the question “What don’t we invest in?” but not always “What are we actively changing?”
Investors as influencers
Through their investments, ethical investors gain access not just to potential returns, but to influence. For many ethical clients, this matters as much as performance. They want to know their capital isn’t just aligned on paper but actively contributing to positive outcomes in the real world.
Ethical investors are also increasingly scrutinising green funds to ensure they align with their sustainability objectives and to avoid greenwashing (where a company makes ethical claims about their products with no evidence to support it). This includes proactively reviewing funds they are invested in, checking for sustainability labels, asking for regular reports of their fund’s performance, and consulting independent third party ratings.
Embracing the grey areas
Ethical investing rarely offers simple answers. One concern illustrates this perfectly – wind farms.
Renewable energy is crucial to the transition to a lower‑carbon future but what about bird migration routes? What about biodiversity? These are not details to brush aside. They are the very conversations that define responsible investing.
Rather than ignoring these grey areas or pretending that there’s a flawless solution, ethical investing means holding multiple truths at once and prioritising those issues that matter most to you.
Making a profit isn’t the opposite of doing good
There’s a persistent myth that in order to invest ethically, you must accept lower returns. That’s simply not the case. In fact, beating cash returns provides the fuel and longevity needed to keep making the world better.
Making money can be ethical when it’s made with intention, oversight, and a willingness to engage. When capital is used not just to grow wealth, but to shape better outcomes.
Ethical investing, at its best, isn’t about standing out from the system. It’s about leaning in and using influence responsibly, asking harder questions, recognising that wealth, when thoughtfully deployed, can be a powerful force for positive change.
What does Origen Ethical Futures do?
At Origen Ethical Futures, we have a separate Investment Committee and approved panel for ethical investment, which includes different approaches to ethical and sustainable investment. We have developed close relationships with the investment managers, so we have detailed, regular transparent conversations that cover areas such as how they manage their portfolios and how they ensure the underlying investments meet the specific ethical/sustainable objectives, so that we can be reassured the portfolios are in line with expectations.
This also makes it easier for us to make sure that each client’s investments really match their ethical values. We want to give investors peace of mind and confidence that their investments are going into businesses that are aligned with their beliefs rather than being invested blindly or without oversight.
If you are interested in reviewing your ethical finance journey, get in touch and let us make your money change your world.
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