Driving the explosion of interest – and action – in responsible investment is a powerful combination of evolving demographics, social trends, regulatory intervention and high-profile natural disasters and events which have shaped experiences and attitudes and raised our collective awareness of the concept of sustainability.

Awareness of climate change

The spectre of climate change is one that is hard to ignore, and hard to avoid, featuring extensively in our media and our political discourse (Coverage about COP 26 in Glasgow being a recent example). ‘Net Zero by 2050’ may be an empty slogan to some, but for many of the world’s governments and corporations, it is a North star, the journey to which will fundamentally reshape the world we live in, the way we live, and the products we consume.

You don’t have to be a politically attuned to be aware of this issue, nor an environmental activist to want to act.

In our own backyard we see the bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef and experience – with seemingly increasing regularity – droughts, floods and of course bushfires.

2019¹³ research found that recent weather conditions in Australia had prompted 2 in 5 Australians to think about switching financial institutions (banks, super funds etc.) to one which invests ethically or responsibly. Undoubtedly the Black summer bushfires of 2019/20 – which brought the impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss to the forefront of Australia’s consciousness – have raised these consideration levels even further.