The major investors on the capital markets have been relying on sustainable financial investments for some time.

According to a survey published on Wednesday by Union Investment, the fund company of the Volks- und Raiffeisenbanken, there are more in Germany than ever before.

According to the survey, 83 percent of institutional investors consider sustainability criteria in their investment decisions.

These are environment (environment), social development (social) and good corporate governance.

The financial market speaks of ESG criteria, abbreviated to the English terms.

Markus Fruehauf

Editor in Business.

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Union Investment cites one reason for the record value in its investor survey, which was conducted for the first time in 2010, as major investors primarily invested sustainably out of conviction.

In the past, on the other hand, major investors most often justified their sustainable investments with regulatory requirements.

With regard to regulation, even professional investors still have information gaps and a very different level of knowledge, reports the fund company.

Deutsche Bank's investment company, DWS, is currently dealing with allegations of greenwashing.

Investment products are said to have been marketed greener than they actually are.

The public prosecutor's office and financial supervisory authority Bafin are investigating suspected capital investment fraud.

CEO Asoka Wöhrmann resigned after a raid a few weeks ago.

The marketing wheel that the financial sector and especially the fund companies are spinning with green investment products is arousing more and more suspicion among critical investors.

The EU Commission is also struggling with defining sustainable criteria.

For example, nuclear power was classified as a transitional technology and thus as sustainable.

This is welcomed in France but rejected in Germany.

This is also shown by the Union Investment survey: 89 percent of institutional investors in Germany classify them as unsustainable.

For the 2022 sustainability study, 203 institutional investors were surveyed on behalf of the fund company.

The high that has now been reached in the proportion of large investors investing sustainably corresponds to an increase of five percentage points compared to the previous year.

Compared to 2018, the proportion has even increased by 18 percentage points.