2011 Investment Horizons: Socially responsible investments are due to climb

In this podcast, Bennett Freeman, who works with the Sustainability Research division of Calvert investments, discusses where sustainable and socially responsible funds are headed in 2011. 

What makes 2011 unique for sustainable investments, and how should investors approach such investments when concerned with higher risk associated with the sector?

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Highlights from our episode:

• Climate change-based investments can pose a slightly higher risk, as national policy changes can impact overall performance; however, investments in the alternative energy sector are expected to perform well in the mid- to long-term period
• Sustainable investing, as both a concept and strategy, has moved from the margins to the mainstream in this decade because of increased awareness and more consciousness of corporate responsibility
• From 2007 to 2010, a period  in which broad market indices declined, assets involved with sustainable/socially responsible investing increased more than 13% in the U.S.
• There is an increasing interest among institutional investors to allocate towards sustainable investment and socially responsible funds