Socially Responsible Investment: Your Questions Answered
An Information Guide for Superannuation Trustees and Fund Managers
Monash Sustainability Enterprises and KPMG July 2001
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About the guide
The UK Social Investment Forum describes Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) as investment that combines investors' financial objectives with their commitment to social justice, economic development, peace and a healthy environment.
In broad terms, the SRI industry has grown out of community concerns that mainstream investment practices do not necessarily take social and environmental factors into account. Consequently, companies and their institutional shareholders are increasingly held to account where company activities result in harm to communities or where the integrity of natural systems is compromised. Research has shown that Australians, in general, place more weight on such issues than people of other countries (see Millennium Poll chart below).
The growing interest in SRI in recent years reflects several trends in industrialised countries including increased levels of education, rising awareness of social and environmental issues, increased availability of information through electronic and other media, and increased participation in share markets. These trends are likely to become more significant in coming years, and as a result industry experts expect that the SRI industry will continue to experience rapid growth.
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