Aussies vote with their wallets on climate change

Australian Ethical sees record-breaking $1 billion of new investment

 

Sydney, 15 July 2021: Australia’s leading ethical super and investment manager, Australian Ethical, has experienced an explosion of $1.03 billion in investment into its climate-friendly funds over the past year (up 56%), driven by Australians deciding to take climate action into their own hands and voting with their wallets.

 

Australian Ethical believes Australians are increasingly tired of the government’s unwillingness to take any concrete action to address the issue of climate change, and are starting to open their eyes to the power of their money to push businesses towards more climate-friendly behaviours.

 

“Australians are sick of a government that refuses to acknowledge the very real danger we are all facing when it comes to climate change,” said John McMurdo, CEO and MD of Australian Ethical.

 

“The ‘sticking our heads in the sand and doing nothing’ approach is simply unacceptable when we know Australia is going to be hit harder than many other countries by economic losses resulting from increasing climate impacts, such as bushfires.

 

“A few months ago, we released research that showed ‘climate change’ and ‘the environment’ were the number one drivers of investment decisions by individuals considering ESG factors. But, not only that, the research also revealed that it was your average Australian leading the charge by instructing their financial advisers to invest in climate-friendly options, not the other way around.

 

“We see this significant rush of funds into our ethical and climate-friendly superannuation and managed funds as another clear indication that the average Australian is continuing this drive. As a nation, we are collectively opening our eyes to the power of our money to address climate change in the face of an ambivalent and seemingly unwilling government,” Mr. McMurdo concluded.

 

The Lowy Institute’s Climate Poll 2021 showed 70% of Australians think Australia should “increase its commitments to address climate change”, 74% believe “the benefits of taking further action on climate change will outweigh the costs”, and 78% support “setting a net-zero emissions target for 2050”.

 

Yet Australia’s emissions per capita are three times the G20 average, and fossil fuels make up 93 per cent of its energy mix – one of the G20’s highest – according to the Climate Transparency Report.

 

Australia also received the lowest score for climate action out of any of the 193 members of the United Nations in a different report produced by the UN-backed Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

 

Australian Ethical achieved record net incoming investments (flows) of $1.03 billion for the year to 30 June 2021 – a 56 per cent increase on the previous 12 months.

 

CASE STUDY:

 

Rachel Bracken is a 43-year-old business owner of Fern Events from Forster NSW, who is passionate about doing her part to address the climate crisis. Recently though, she has become increasingly frustrated by the inaction of our government to address this crisis in any meaningful way. As a result, she has decided to take matters further into her own hands, by ensuring her money is invested in environmentally-friendly ways – especially her super savings.

 

Rachel would love to speak with you about why she felt switching to an environmentally-friendly super fund was so important, and why she thinks every Australian should follow suit.

 

Please let us know if you would like us to organise a phone call.

 

You can use these high-res photos of Rachel for the story.

 

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Note: For interview requests: Erika Streegan // 0401 788 399 // [email protected]

Sustainable Investment Leader: Australian Ethical’s Impactful Approach

Australian Ethical is Australia’s original responsible investment and fastest-growing super fund manager, with a 34-year track record, over $5 billion in Funds Under Management (FUM), and above-market returns in its premium products.

 

Australian Ethical offers eight managed funds and 13 investment options in its superannuation fund. These are managed by an in-house team of investment professionals consisting of sector specialists with an average of over 16 years’ experience, and an internal ethics team with a separate reporting line. Every decision made by both teams is guided by the Australian Ethical Charter and its responsible investment philosophy. The investment team combines the most comprehensive ethical assessment process in the market with fundamental bottom-up stock analysis that goes far deeper than generic ESG investing.

 

Australian Ethical is rated as one of the top-performing super fund and investment managers by Super Ratings, Chant West, Morningstar, Money Magazine, Rainmaker, Forbes, and Financial Standard.

 

Recently, Australian Ethical was awarded:

• 1 of just 6 global leaders for ESG commitment, and the only Australian asset manager, by Morningstar

• Australian Ethical Super’s Australian Shares option ranks no.1 over 5 years, 7 years and 10 years according to the SuperRatings Fund Crediting Rate Survey as at 31 December 2020

• Australian Ethical Super’s Balanced option was ranked no.2 in the SuperRatings Fund Crediting Rate Survey – SR50 Balanced (60-76) Index over 1 and 3 years as at 31 December 2020

• Emerging Companies Fund (Wholesale) and the Diversified Shares Fund (Wholesale) 5-star rating by Canstar

• Money Magazine Best of the Best Award: ESG Trailblazer

• Finder.com.au Green Superannuation Fund of the Year

• SuperRatings Infinity Award for Best Sustainable Super Fund

• Financial Standard Investment Leadership Award: ESG – Australian Equities