Investing for a better tomorrow

Peter Hall

In “a spirit of hope”, Australian ethical fund manager Hunter Hall Investment Management has launched a new offering that is focused on the wellbeing of humans, animals and the environment.

The Hunter Hall Global Deep Green Trust has been established with two aims: to earn a good return for investors with a performance objective of 12 per cent per annum and to make a positive contribution to a world-wide environmental crisis.

According to the manager’s executive chair, Peter Hall, it is humanity’s responsibility for addressing this crisis by changing the way it runs the global economy.

“The new trust is our little way of doing this,” he explained.

“[For example], we will not invest in any companies domiciled in any country involved in commercial whaling.”

The trust will also seek to avoid investment in companies that derive revenues associated with the sale of armaments or tobacco, gambling, cruelty to animals, destruction of the environment and uranium mining.

It will, however, invest both locally and internationally in a wide variety of activities such as renewable energy, medical services, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, veterinary care, education, social infrastructure and communications.

Furthermore, Hunter Hall donates 5 per cent of its profits to charity and the new trust will donate one-third of its management fee as well as 20 per cent of its performance fee.

An example of the type of endeavour that will be supported is the effort to save the Sumatran rhino from extinction.