Is ethical investment only for millennials and hipsters?

In the ‘bad old days’ – namely before the late 20th century – it was traditionally the case that the less ethical and the less green a business or sector, the better. There was, and still is, a whole cacophony of ‘sin stocks, from tobacco to oil and gas to defence and junk food.

The reason for an enthusiasm for all things sinful was, and probably still is, because such businesses tended to have the most secure profits profile. After all, people will always smoke, go to war and binge eat.

However, from a moral standpoint investors would be scraping the bottom of the barrel in terms of a clear conscience by going for such an approach. Nowadays, making money at all costs has been not only turned on its head, it has taken the form of investing for the benefit of both the investor, and the greater good.

As Guy Shone, Business Analyst and CEO of Explainthemarket.com