All about sustainable investing

Learn what you need to know to make a difference

Nearly 70% of investors willingly pay more for goods and services from companies whose values align with theirs.1

Only 39% invest sustainably—largely because investors just aren’t clear about what it is, and how it can make a difference.1 Here, we break it down for you with what you need to know about sustainable investing to get started and make a difference.

Is your portfolio achieving the impact you want?

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What is sustainable investing?

It’s a way to invest and seek returns you expect while staying true to your values. That’s whether you care about a cause, driving social change, or how a company or country conducts itself.

3 ways your portfolio can make a difference2

Exclusion

Choose to exclude investing in companies that don’t reflect your values.

Integration

Choose to integrate companies into your portfolio that reflect your values when it comes to the environment, social concerns or governance.

Impact

Make a measurable difference. Bona fide impact is part of the criteria for these investments.

Myth vs. reality

Myth

You sacrifice performance
 

Reality

Sustainable investment returns can be comparable to what you can expect from conventional ones.3,4 According to research, investing sustainably can improve returns or doesn't harm them.1 So it's little surprise the global sustainable investment market is growing.

Myth

You can’t measure the impact

Reality

Measured impact is a requirement of impact investing, so you can actually see the difference you're making. Even more promising, companies and funds are reporting their social and environmental impact.

Myth

You need to be an expert

Reality

A simple way to choose solutions that align with your values is to consider sustainable mutual funds, SMAs or ETFs. By 2023, investors expect sustainable investing to be the norm, so join the movement.1

Who’s investing sustainably?


 

39% of investors globally1

56% Ages 18-341

54% $50m+ in assets1

What do you know about sustainable investing?

Think you know sustainable investing? Think again.

Take the quiz

Fresh perspectives

Podcasts

Sustainable Investing Exchange podcasts

UBS Global Visionaries series podcasts

Why UBS?

We want to shape the future of sustainable investing. Why? Because we believe these investments can deliver returns with less risk to your money. We are also confident that sustainable investing will soon become the world's most widely accepted way of investing.

As the world’s leading wealth manager, we feel responsible for helping change things for the better. We have the capital, solutions and expertise to make a big difference globally.

These aren’t just words. We walk the talk. In 2017, we announced our intention to raise USD 5 billion in client assets over the next five years to help plug funding gaps needed to reach the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). And you’ll have a team of sustainable investing specialists helping you do more for the world. 

We drive change

How UBS is making a difference in the world

Learn more

Is your portfolio achieving the impact you want?

Contact a UBS Financial Advisor

Sustainable investing strategies aim to consider and in some instances integrate the analysis of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors into the investment process and portfolio. Strategies across geographies and styles approach ESG analysis and incorporate the findings in a variety of ways. Incorporating ESG factors or Sustainable Investing considerations may inhibit the portfolio manager’s ability to participate in certain investment opportunities that otherwise would be consistent with its investment objective and other principal investment strategies. The returns on a portfolio consisting primarily of ESG or sustainable investments may be lower or higher than a portfolio where such factors are not considered by the portfolio manager. Because sustainability criteria can exclude some investments, investors may not be able to take advantage of the same opportunities or market trends as investors that do not use such criteria. Companies may not necessarily meet high performance standards on all aspects of ESG or sustainable investing issues; there is also no guarantee that any company will meet expectations in connection with corporate responsibility, sustainability and/or impact performance.

UBS AG was named “Best Services for Philanthropy and Social Impact Investing” by Euromoney, 2015- 2018 and named the “Industry Group Leader in Sustainability for the Diversified Financial Services sector” by Dow Jones Sustainability Index/RobecoSAM 2015-2018.

ESG and financial performance: aggregated evidence from more than 2000 empirical studies‘, Journal of Sustainable Finance and Investment, Gunnar Friede, Timo Busch, Alexander Bassen, 2015. Accolades are independently determined and awarded by their respective publications.

Neither UBS Financial Services Inc. nor its employees pay a fee in exchange for these ratings.

We offer both investment advisory and brokerage services which are separate and distinct and differ in material ways. For information, including the different laws and contracts that govern, visit ubs.com/workingwithus.

UBS Financial Services Inc. is a subsidiary of UBS AG. Member FINRA/SIPC.

1 'ESG and financial performance: aggregated evidence from more than 2000 empirical studies', Journal of Sustainable Finance and Investment, Gunnar Friede, Timo Busch, Alexander Bassen, 2015. 

2 The ability to implement these approaches will depend on the product or service selected; they are not available for all products, services or accounts offered through UBS.

3 'Introducing the Impact Investing Benchmark', Global Impact Investing Network and Cambridge Associates, 2015.

4 'GSIA Global Sustainable Investment Review', 2016 ("In the period since the last report was released, the global sustainable investment market has continued to grow, and in most of the regions covered by GSIA’s member organizations, its share of professionally managed assets has also grown.")