September 30, 2007
· Filed under FTSE4Good
The FTSE4Good was launched in July 2001 and is the first index series for socially responsible investors (SRI.) Companies can only be included in the index if they meet the standards set out by FTSE and the Ethical Investment Research Service (EIRiS.) The standards focus on :
- Actively working towards environmental sustainability
- Human rights
- Countering bribery
- Supply chain labour standards
- Working towards climate control
- Developing positive relationships with stakeholders
Since being set up there have been some high profile exclusions. These include Tesco because it failed to publish an environmental report and Nestle because of its marketing strategy in marketing breast milk substitutes.
Other companies excluded are those which are deemed not socially responsible. These are listed on the FTSE4Good pages as:
- Tobacco producers
- Companies involved in any way with the production of nuclear weapons
- Companies manufacturing whole weapons systems
- Owners or operators of nuclear power stations
- Companies involved in the extraction or processing of uranium
More information can be found at FTSE4Good
September 30, 2007
· Filed under Definitions
Firstly let’s look at some definations for the terms you may come across when searching for products. (This list will not be exhaustive!)
Green money = money used for ecological purposes.
Ethical money= money that is directed towards activities which have a positive social and/or ecological impact.
Ethical funds= look at a companies financial performance and also consider the company’s social and environmental record.
Socially responsible investment = the practice of considering social and environmental factors when deciding on who to lend money to and buy shares from.
Carbon neutral = neutral (meaning zero) total carbon release, brought about by balancing the amount of carbon released with the amount sequestered.
Dark green investment policies = highly strict ethical investement polices
Light green investments policies = more flexible ethical investment policies
FTSE4good = measures the performance of companies that meet globally recognised corporate responsibility standards.
September 29, 2007
· Filed under home · Tagged carbon neutral, climate change, ethical living, global warming, green money
Hi! This is the first post of Ethical and Green and I thought we should explain why we are here. Everywhere you go now it seems you can’t escape headlines about green money, being carbon neutral and investing money ethically. Let’s face it- we all have a responsibility to look after this planet for future generations. We also need to make sure that people in other countries aren’t exploited for our gains. This site will aim to give advice about which products and companies are out there so we can live more ethically and greener. These products range from cars to credit cards and socially responsible investment. Over the coming months we’ll be looking at different products and industries in more detail so keep popping back.
