Ethical investments - sticking to your social, environmental and ethical principles - by independent financial adviser John Bramwell

Ethical Investments

It is possible to invest your money while sticking to your social, environmental and ethical principles. There is a wide range of investment products available, all of which aim to meet a variety of ethical criteria as well as representing Socially Responsible Investment (SRI).

For example, many product providers specifically exclude some or all of the companies involved in the following areas from their ethical investment funds:

animal testing of cosmetics and household goods
arms and nuclear energy
alcohol, tobacco, gambling and pornography
abortion, euthanasia and embryo research
environmental pollution
undemocratic countries
worker or human rights abuse
the fur trade

What is unethical for one person may well be perfectly ethical for another person, eg. animal testing of medicines developed to treat major diseases like AIDS or cancer.

Whatever your particular beliefs and ethics, it should be possible to find a selection of investments that you are comfortable with.