Green is not the only colour

With the rapidly growing interest in all things environmental, many have come to focus on the environmental aspects of socially responsible investment (SRI) funds - almost to the exclusion of all else. However, while the environment is important to many responsible investors, so are many other issues

The origin of many SRI funds was in the negative screening of controversial industries such as arms, tobacco and gambling. It is only more recently, with the growth in awareness of issues such as climate change, that environmental issues have come to the fore. The traditionally ethical funds have evolved as they have sought to address more complex issues, partly in response to the growing sophistication and interest of many investors. It is not just the environment that these investors have been interested in but areas such as employment, human rights and overseas development, healthcare, c...