Westpac joins the run to ethical investing
Westpac has risen again to the demand for ethical investing with the launch of the Westpac International Sustainability Share Fund (WISSF).
The WISSF is a wholesale fund that acts as a gateway to international shares provided in a list by the Dow Jones Sustainability Group Index (DJSGI). The launch of the international fund follows launches of domestic ethical funds last year.
The DJSGI selects from the top 10 per cent of companies worldwide which have incorporated sustainability into their long-term business plans. Sustainability is the consideration of environmental, social and economic long-term impacts of its business activities in its business plans.
Westpac Financial Services joint managing director Shaun Mays says research has shown that investors increasingly make decisions based on environmental and social grounds as part of their search for performing investments.
"This fund allows investments in international shares that have a proven sustainability tilt to their business behaviour and processes," he says.
The launch of WISSF follows other Westpac forays into the ethical investment market such as the Australian Eco Share Fund and the Westpac-Monash Eco index.
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