A recent PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) global survey points out that the demand among investors for environmental, social, and governance (ESG) funds is growing quite rapidly than previously anticipated.
So, what exactly are these ESG funds? ESG equity funds are mutual funds that invest in companies with strong ESG practices. ESG funds try to promote sustainable business practices.
The core aim is to generate financial returns while also making a positive impact on the environment and society at large.
As more investors are looking forward to aligning their investment with the values put forward by companies promoting sustainable practices, ESG funds have gathered eyeballs.
A few of the types of ESG funds include green funds, social impact funds, ethical funds and sustainable development goals (SDGs) funds.
What differentiates ESG mutual funds from traditional mutual funds is that the focus is on investments that are good for the environment, society, and the way the country is run. In addition, different screens are adopted to choose investments and may have different weighting schemes.
Generally, traditional mutual funds are run to make the most money without taking into ESG factors undertaken by a particular company.
Before choosing an ESG fund, investors should consider factors such as the fund’s investment thesis, elements of the fund’s portfolio composition, including investment types and sector weightings and easy availability of research on the fund’s performance and ESG features, just to list a few.
Overall, investors must analyse the scheme information documents carefully. Also, there is a need to monitor the relevant scheme’s investments from time to time to ensure that the schemes continue to meet the ESG-focused expectations of investors.
Rajiv is an independent editorial consultant for the last decade. Prior to this, he worked as a full-time journalist associated with various prominent print media houses. In his spare time, he loves to paint on canvas.
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