Different banks and other financial institutions have very different attitudes to their environmental duties. Having a bank which takes sustainability seriously (and often other important concerns such as equality or supporting industries such as arms and tobacco) and actively uses investments for positive projects can be called Green Finance. Research has been done to map different providers so you can easily see how your current or future provider compare – Good with Money provide a series of reports on who is doing well. Moving away your finances into more sustainable and ethical banks is called divestment. The NCVO’s campaign Fuelling Positive Change has lots of advice how you and your board can start this journey.
Thinking about ethical investment isn’t just limited to where you keep your money, it’s also where you spend your money. Insurers, for instance, are ranked by various measures to show how ethical they are. Insure our Future have a campaign around this issue if you would like to read more. As part of your Environmental Policy or Procurement Policy you might want to think about what considerations you want to have in place when it comes to sources products – for instance only recycled paper goods, products with less airmiles attached, local food or free range meats.