Brewin Dolphin launches ethical investment service

24 July 2006

Over three million people * are considering investing in an ethical stock or fund during the next 12 months, according to new research commissioned by Brewin Dolphin Securities. The survey by the UK’s largest portfolio manager reveals that interest in ethical investing is particularly high among older investors (aged 65+), with 12% considering this approach compared to 7% nationally.

Brewin Dolphin has launched an ethical investment service for private clients. The service which is called Ethical Portfolio Management is offered through a partnership between Brewin Dolphin and the Ethical Investment Research Service (EIRIS) and is launched at a time when there is estimated to be £10 billion worth of ethical investments in the UK.

The Ethical Portfolio Management service is based on a series of ethical criteria found to be the most popular among Brewin Dolphin’s existing clients and seeks to provide them with a balanced portfolio. There is also a facility for private clients to use their own particular standards or views, if those within the primary portfolio management service are not appropriate.

Charlotte Black, Director of Corporate Affairs at Brewin Dolphin Securities said,

“This research confirms that there is a high level of interest amongst investors for opportunities to invest ethically and responsibly. We recognise that this may become increasingly important to many of our clients. This new service will allow private investors to invest all or part of their portfolio according to their own ethical or environmental views, rather than having to buy predetermined ethical funds.

“We believe that by overlaying an ethical profile on our broader research capability, we can generate a portfolio of UK equities and bonds for clients that will provide the opportunity for a good level of growth in both capital and income.”

Professor Tom Burke CBE – author of The Green Capitalists and a Director of the Green Alliance said:

“ I am pleased to see the results of this research and that investors are becoming more aware and enthusiastic about making ethical judgements for their investments. Brewin Dolphin’s portfolio service, where you can choose which issues to support or boycott, should add to the interest level.”

Regionally, Londoners are most likely to invest in ethical stocks and funds over the next 12 months (14%) compared to just 2% of investors from the East Midlands.

* TNS was commissioned to conduct research via telephone survey between 12th-14th May with a representative sample of 1013 GB adults aged 16 +.

Notes:

Brewin Dolphin has designed a set of 17 criteria that will be used to assess companies from across FTSE All World Developed Index. This information is used in conjunction with Brewin Dolphin’s own in-house research to provide clients with a segregated ethical portfolio based on their individual standards.

Tom is an Environmental Policy Adviser to Rio Tinto plc and a Visiting Professor at Imperial College.

He is a member of the Council of English Nature; statutory advisor to the British Government on biodiversity; and co-chairman of the Anglo-German Environment Forum. He was recently appointed an Honorary Professor in the Faculty of Laws at University College, London and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Since 1991 he has been a member of the Advisory Committee to the Business in the Environment Task Team. He is on the Advisory Council of the Earth Centre and advises a number of other environmental organisations. He is a founding member of the Council of the Institute of Environmental Management and served as Green Alliance's Director from 1982-91.

He currently serves on the American Chemistry Council’s Leadership Dialogue and on the Advisory Board for Conservation International’s Centre for Environmental Leadership in Business in the US.

In 1993 he was appointed to United Nations Environment Programme's `Global 500' roll of honour. In 1997, he was appointed CBE for services to the environment.