Learn about sustainable Canadian funds here.

Growing environmental, social and economic issues are challenging us to reduce waste and pollution, avoid plastic items and be eco-friendly. Researches refers to it as “sustainable lifestyle”, that means “living well within the earth’s limit”. Practices encompass a wide range of activities, including energy and water conservation, waste recycling, “green” consumption, travel and tourism behaviors. We struggle to be sustainable consumers, but are we sustainable investors, as well?

Sustainable funds have been attracting more and more flows. Assets in sustainable funds hit a record high of US$1,258 billion as of the end of September 2020. Europe surpassed the US$1 trillion mark. Hortense Bioy, Director of Sustainability Research for Morningstar EMEA, says: “The strong inflows speak of the growing investor interest in ESG issues, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. The disruption caused by the pandemic has highlighted the importance of building sustainable and resilient business models based on multi-stakeholder considerations. The average outperformance of sustainable funds in the first quarter globally has also helped alleviate some investors' concerns about a potential return trade-off in sustainable strategies”.