6 Te Good Life Retirement planning, finance & legal


greenwashing — the act of making misleading claims about a company’s environmental friendliness, often with fancy marketing language that implies a product is more eco-friendly than it is. Tankfully, there are apps that can not only help spot greenwashing, but also ensure investments follow strict ethical guidelines.


What is ethical investing? Ethical or impact investing is a strategy where the investor’s values — moral, religious or social — determine investments. Sometimes called impact investing, At the most basic level, it’s the act of filtering out companies that endorse certain sectors such as gambling, weapons manufacturing or fossil fuels, but it can be investing in companies making active positive changes in social or environmental fields. But as companies realised the


demand for such funds, they started bombarding consumers with products labelled as ‘sustainable’ or ‘ethical’, without making it clear how or why,


Ethical investing W


hile ethical investing has become all the rage recently, it’s vital to look out for


which has made it more difficult for investors to figure out where they should put their money. “It’s a great challenge and a lot


of people are greenwashing,” says Duncan Grierson, founder of climate- focused impact investing app Clim8. “A large part of the wealth management market is offering greenwashed products. It’s a joke that the top environmental, social and governance (ESG) funds in the world hold fossil fuels. With the war in Ukraine, a lot of those funds hold Russian energy stocks and banks, so they’re not good on either the E, the S or the G.” In 2021, think tank InfluenceMap


analysed 723 equity funds, with over £240bn in assets, and found that 55% of these funds were not aligned with the goals of the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit global warming to 1.5C. Te agreement looks to strengthen the global response to climate change, which includes directing investment capital into businesses that will help with decarbonisation.


Ethical investing apps Launched in 2020, Sugi is an app that aims to give investors clear and reliable data about the investments they hold. Users can check the


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carbon impact and emissions of their portfolio, compare green investments and build a greener portfolio. Tere are also dedicated impact


Investing in sustainable companies is becoming more popular, but it can be tricky knowing where to put your money. We find out how to navigate this sector of investing. Words: Selin Bucak


investment apps like Clim8. It focuses on businesses that are making an impact on climate issues. You can start investing with as little as £25, with access to portfolios featuring 20 to 30 stocks, a range of specialist funds and carbon credit instruments. Circa5000, previously known as


tickr, is a similar platform that selects companies based on their positive impact under two main themes: ‘people’ and ‘planet’. Tat can include companies focused on anything from eco-friendly energy transition to reducing food scarcity, and improving healthcare or education. Tird-party impact funds are grouped together in three separate portfolios or investors can create their own portfolio by selecting individual funds themselves. Co-founder Tom McGillycuddy says the average client is aged 31 and typically has £2,000 to £4,000 invested with the app. For those who want to check


their current portfolios, both Tom and Duncan suggest looking at the top 10 holdings of funds online and checking if they tick all the boxes or just one or two. Tom explains that you might find


Solar power stations and wind turbines in Yancheng City, China PHOTOGRAPH: GETTY


ESG, sustainable and impact funds that have big tech companies and banks as big holdings. Sometimes they’re labelled as ethical because they’re performing well in one area, such as sustainability, despite not meeting expectations in others, such as governance and social impact. “Tey tend to slip through filters just because they score well on certain ESG metrics,” explains Tom.


Custom-made luxury jewellery


Smith & Green provides premium-quality luxury jewellery; custom made, your way, at affordable prices


Smith & Green only uses the finest natural diamonds and gemstones, the highest quality metals and the very best craftsmen. When you buy piece of its jewellery, you become part of the family and the brand welcomes a close relationship with its customers, who expect clarity, honesty and value.


Joshua Green: co-founder Josh has an excellent manner when with customers, which creates a good rapport, making clients feel comfort- able while buying. With his extensive knowledge, he can ensure that the item being purchased is right for the occa- sion, eliminating disappointment.


Christopher Smith: co-founder Chris has an incredible depth of knowledge of all types of jewellery. His eye for detail is always evident when producing an item for customers, and this ensures that the quality of work- manship is of the highest calibre in all price ranges.


Bespoke commissions From explaining the subtleties of diamonds and their grading to designing the most detailed and personalised of rings, Smith & Green’s adept expert team are on hand to guide you to create a one-of-a-kind expression of your love.


smithgreenjewellers.com Smith & Green Jewellers 9 Hatton Garden, London EC1N 8AH


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