London, 11 July 2013 – The UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association (UKSIF) today co-signed a letter to the Treasury Select Committee which calls for an inquiry into why senior Treasury economists apparently blocked a major Government review into resource depletion, climate change and UK growth prospects. The letter is signed by a number of major investment institutions, the Aldersgate Group, and Friends of the Earth and also includes a ‘Business Statement’ signed by 46 Aldersgate Group members.

Read the full press release.

Read the Joint letter to the Treasury Select Committee and associated ‘Business Statement’

‘A Short History of Responsible Investing in Europe’ tracks the evolution of Responsible Investment from “The Ethical Era” to “A Mainstream Choice”. The webcast was delivered by Penny Shepherd MBE, chief executive of UKSIF, for the CFA Institute.

The webcast can be viewed on the CFA Institute website via http://bit.ly/PennyS.

The Investment Management Association’s (IMA) quarterly statistics issued today show that:

Net retail sales of Ethical funds totalled £98 million in Quarter 2 2010. This is well above the average of the past four quarters and the highest net sales figure since Quarter 4 2007.

Commenting on the IMA statistics, Adam Ognall, deputy chief executive of UKSIF, which organises National Ethical Investment Week in November, said:

“Investment in ethical funds has returned to levels not seen since the credit crunch took hold in 2007. It is a very positive sign that increasing numbers of investors want to make money and make a difference.

As the economy continues to stutter, consumers are increasingly aware of the impact of their investments and the opportunity for their finance and investment decisions to have a positive long term impact. Modern green and ethical investment is now an attractive choice for mainstream investors. These are some of the issues we will discuss as part of the annual National Ethical Investment Week, which runs from 7-13 November.”