Investment and Corporate Social Responsibility

Green investment and corporate social responsibility

There is a growing interest in using green finance and investment to raise the funding needed to develop green infrastructure such as renewable technologies, and to encourage firms to think about how their activities affect the environment.
One way to have an influence is through pension funds.  Union members pay into pensions that are invested on their behalf in companies across the UK and the world markets.  Many member-nominated pension trustees are union members, and the TUC co-ordinates a network of union members who are trustees http://www.tuc.org.uk/pensions/index.cfm?mins=349&minors=349 .  Pension scheme members can also have an influence by contacting their pension scheme or trustees and asking whether they have a policy on how to encourage the companies they invest in to be more responsible about the environment.

Related links:

• The Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC) is a forum for collaboration on climate change between pension funds and other big institutional investors http://www.iigcc.org/

• The Prospect trade union has produced a negotiators’ guide to corporate social responsibility with useful practical tips and examples http://www.prospect.org.uk/dl/17025_2114340132.pdf/as/2008-00190-Negotiator's-guide-Corporate-Social-Responsibility-Version-14-10-2008.pdf?_ts=7561&prs=f96e4fdffe282169bc64fc72f2720f08

• The UK Sustainable Investment and Finance association (UKSIF) is a membership network for sustainable and responsible investment and financial services http://www.uksif.org/

• FairPensions is a charity that campaigns for responsible investment by UK pension funds http://www.fairpensions.org.uk/index.asp