Germany
SRI initiatives in Germany evolved in the 1970s from the ecological and peace movements at the time. Institutional investors like churches and insurance companies have since then fostered the SRI-trend. From 2002 onwards the German government enacted disclosure regulations for pensions to encourage SRI.
The German SRI retail-market is highly dominated by foreign investment-companies, which is probably due to the fact that German banks until recently paid little attention to SRI.
The discussion on how to cope with climate change has influenced the business environment for sustainable investment in Germany.
Some facts about the German SRI management market (as of 31/12/2007):
- SRI Market Size: €11.1billion (100% core)
- SRI Institutional Market Size: estimated at 63% of the SRI market
- Influential actors: foreign FSP, religious organisations, NGOs
- Leading Strategies: SRI theme funds, ethical exclusions and engagement
- Legal Milestones: disclosure regulations for pension funds (2002-2004)
- SIF (yes/no): Yes, Sustainable Investment Forum FNG since 2001
For more information on SRI in German speaking countries please visit: www.forum-ng.de
Or download the German section of Eurosif's European SRI Study 2008
