Australian Ethical Investment

Australian Ethical’s Smaller Companies Trust has won Ethical Investor’s Fund of the Year for the second time at the 11th annual Sustainability Awards in Melbourne. The awards recognise best practice in corporate sustainability by Australian companies.

The managed investment fund section of the awards was judged by rating agency, Lonsec. In awarding Australian Ethical the Fund of the Year, Lonsec noted the impressive track record of the fund, the stability of the investment team and leadership stance it recently took on Coal Seam Gas, a clear demonstration of its rigorous ethical investment process. 

Managing Director of Australian Ethical, Phil Vernon said, ‘The Sustainability Awards are a fantastic platform to reward the behaviour of the most sustainable businesses in Australia. Australian Ethical is differentiated across its entire product range, including our super fund, in that all our investments are guided by a set of negative and positive screens, which shape our portfolios and values of the company.

‘Our award-winning flagship fund, the Smaller Companies Trust, which embodies our ethical investment process, has continued to outperform its benchmark and responsible investment peers over the medium to long term.

‘According to the recently released 2011 RIAA (Responsible Investment Association of Australasia) Benchmark Report the average Australian shares responsible investment fund has outperformed the average ‘mainstream’ fund across 1, 3, 5 and 7 year time periods. 

‘It is especially pleasing for us and our clients that our fund is therefore outperforming the mainstream market, proving that investing responsibly, in the likes of smart technologies, ground-breaking healthcare and energy efficiency, but without needing to be overly-exposed to the mining boom, can lead to consistently superior results.’ 

Australian Ethical is currently celebrating 25 years of ethical investment and manages more than $600 million in funds under management.

Media comment
Paul Smith
General Manager, Strategy & Communications
Australian Ethical
0416 851 072
psmith [at] australianethical [dot] com [dot] au