Can your money change the world?

• How your money can change the world
   
• How you can structure your values

In 2015, a survey by US investment manager Calvert showed that women tend to see money as more than just a way to pay for things, but as a way to support their values.

Sustainability is the ability to maintain something at its current level. When we talk about things being ‘sustainable’, we mean that it could continue the way it currently works, forever - or as long as we’d like it to!

We typically think about sustainability in terms of the environment - for example, using oil as an energy source isn’t sustainable, because the planet only offers a finite amount of oil, and much of it is only accessible by causing massive damage to the natural landscape. In comparison, we’ll always have windy days and wind is an infinite natural resource, so wind power is sustainable. 

To invest your money sustainable, you will need to decide on the values it should support. To make this easier, it can help to use a framework. Here are two main ways to categorise sustainability. These terms are widely used across sustainable investing, so they’re good ones to know.

This stands for:

• Environmental values are ones which consider the world around us, such as climate change, rising sea levels, or air pollution
   
• Social values are about society and people in general, such as equal pay, working conditions, and equality
   
• Governance values might seem a little more dull in comparison to the environmental and social values, but they’re actually equally important. These include the way that companies or governments act and the impact they have on their employees, customers, or investors and stakeholders

The SDGs include 17 goals that the world wants to achieve by 2030. Examples are: no poverty, zero hunger, affordable and clean energy, gender equality, climate action etc.

All of these goals fit into the ESG categories we outlined above, and many fit into all three. You can find the details and very valuable and detailed information on the United Nations website un.org.

It’s time for a super inspiring brain-dump of everything you’re passionate about. 

• Write down your 5 biggest values or beliefs - are you super passionate about women’s rights, helping the planet or protecting nature?
   
• When you've finished, go back through the list and categorise your values - do they fall into one (or more) of the ESG categories? Or perhaps they’re directly linked to one of the SDGs?

Nowadays, a lot of sustainable investing options can be defined by a particular goal or theme - this means that the better you understand what your goals are, the easier it will be to locate opportunities that meet them.