Investment management group Brooks Macdonald has launched a responsible investment service, with two strategies offering different approaches to sustainable investing.
Investors in the Avoid strategy will have no exposure to companies involved in weapons production, tobacco, alcohol, pornography and gambling. Investors in the Advance strategy will be invested in businesses that aim to resolve sustainability issues, or have strong corporate policies and outputs relating to environmental, social and governance criteria.
Ben Palmer, head of the company’s Responsible Investment Research Team, will be leading the new service, along with investment director Edward Park. The service is available to those with at least £250,000 to invest.
Caroline Connellan, chief executive of Brooks Macdonald, said the decision to offer two, distinct strategies was a response to clients’ different investment preferences.
She said: “We see strong demand in the market for this type of product from both existing and new clients and look forward to delivering a solution that meets their needs.”
In launching the service on Monday, the company cited research from Greenwich Associates which outlined increasing demand for such investments. The company said that 95% of investors were now considering ESG investing to be a long-term trend, with more than two thirds expecting demand for such investments to increase over the coming three years.
Ben Palmer, head of the Responsible Investment Research Team, added: “We’re excited to be able to offer an investment service for this growing area of the market, and to draw on our existing capabilities to branch out fully into responsible investing.”
