No trade-off between ethics and profits

The Guardian today reported that the Co-op's Insurance Sustainable (CIS) trust is at the very top of performance charts for investment funds, demonstrating that being green doesn't mean that investments have to take a back seat.

The ethical and environmental criteria applied to companies and businesses in which CIS invests means that it is limited to only 170 companies of about 600 that are open to all funds. And for the year to the end of January, investors were provided with a return of 29.3% compared to the average for all funds of 13.3%. Socially responsible investment both rewards companies that take the lead in setting ethical standards, and allows customers the comfort and security of knowing that their investments are not contributing to human rights abuses, environmental irresponsibility, or the tobacco and arms industries.

Somehow there is a common conception that to go eco-friendly we must shun the benefits of the modern world and return to the caves. Socially responsible investment doesn't automatically mean lower returns: the example of this fund - and it is not the only one - illustrates how living ethically can be in sync with making money.