Beats | March 29, 2017

Global sustainable-investment assets hit $23 trillion, up 25 percent in two years

ImpactAlpha
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ImpactAlpha

Global sustainable-investment assets have hit $23 trillion, up 25 percent in two years.

The latest tally of socially responsible investment shows growth in fixed-income and retail investing. The Global Sustainable Investment Alliance, which rolls up regional and national surveys from a half-dozen partners, casts a wide net, including negatively and positively screened public equities, green bonds and impact and community investments.

Screened investments that exclude sectors like tobacco and firearms, still makes up the largest segment, with $15 trillion in assets.

Bonds, including climate-aligned bonds, made up 64 percent of SRI assets, up from 40 percent in 2014, partly driven by the growth of green bonds.

European investors account for more than half of global SRI assets, compared with 38 percent for the U.S. The portion of SRI assets owned by retail investors doubled to 26 percent.

From a small base, impact and community investing grew by 146 percent to $258 billion.