
Being an investor is a responsible job, and that responsibility doesn’t stop with your portfolio. The companies you choose to invest in can have a big impact on the world around you—and not always in the way you might expect! Sustainable investing is about using your dollars to do good for yourself and others by guiding your money toward sustainable companies that are working hard to make the world a better place.
Sustainable Investing Is Smart Investing
It’s also known as responsible, ethical, or impact investing. While there are no guarantees in life, sustainable investing has the potential to give you a better return on your money than traditional investments.
The reason for this? Your portfolio will be more diversified and likely less volatile than one that contains only traditional stocks and bonds. There are several ways you can get involved to Nachhaltig anlegen (Invest sustainably):
- Buy debt issued by companies that have strong CSR track records (social responsibility).
- Buy shares of companies whose values align with yours (ethics).
- Invest in funds that specialize in socially responsible investments (impact).
Sustainable Investing Doesn’t Have To Involve Risk
As a general rule, when you invest in something, you’re taking on the risk of losing some or all of your money. In this sense, sustainable investing is no different from any other type of investment. But with sustainable and ethical investments, there are many ways to minimize that risk while still getting involved in an industry that aligns with your values.
A good place to start is by choosing companies whose business practices align with your own morals and ethics — even if they aren’t completely green yet. If they have made some strides towards being more sustainable or ethical (or both), but aren’t quite there yet, support them anyway! That way their efforts can be amplified by having more people like yourself backing them up financially. It’s also important to keep track of how these companies fare over time; if they’re regularly falling behind on their promises about being green or ethical then it’s probably best for everyone involved if you sell off those shares and move on somewhere else where things may be greener/ethically sounder!
Gather Strong Information About Any Company Before You Invest In It
When buying stock, it is important to gather strong information about any company before you invest in it. Even if you’re familiar with the company and its products or services, there are still some things you should do before taking the plunge.
- Understand the company’s mission. Does it align with yours?
- Go over the history of this business
- Ask yourself if you would buy from this company. If not, then why invest in them?
- Be aware of the environmental impact this company has had on our planet and its people; look at how much waste they produce, what energy sources they use (and where those energy sources come from), how sustainable their business practices are (for example: does their packaging use recycled material?), etc.