“Responsible” investments appear to be losing favour with private investors. A survey has found that only 53 per cent of respondents consider environmental, social and governance factors before investing, compared with 60 per cent last year and 65 per cent in 2021.
The results of the ESG attitudes tracker survey by the Association of Investment Companies comes after news last week that so-called responsible investments, or greener funds, experienced record net outflows of £448 million in August.
Although 68 per cent of respondents said sustainability was important to their everyday lives, they showed concern that funds were “greenwashing”, or overselling sustainable practices for marketing purposes. Nearly two thirds, 63 per cent, were not convinced by funds’ ESG claims, up from 58 per cent last year
