50% of 18 to 24-year-olds consider return on investment more important than climate and environmental protection. Among 55 to 73-year-olds, the share is just 35%. This is the result of a new infographic from Kryptoszene.de. Nevertheless, green stocks and ETFs are on the upswing, as a performance comparison clearly illustrates.
There are clear differences between sexes in terms of investment behaviour. 54% of women surveyed reported that they would pay more attention to climate and environmental protection when making investments in the future. For men, however, the figure was just 40%.
However, a distinct uncertainty is emerging. A clear majority of Germans find it difficult to understand which investments benefit the environment and climate and which do not.
However, the infographic shows that the volume of investment landing in sustainable investment funds and portfolios in Germany is rising sharply. Last year, the investment volume amounted to €183.5 billion, compared to just €69 billion back in 2015. The change is especially apparent among private investors, with private sustainable investment volume rising by 96% from 2018 to 2019.
A look at the price development of the respective shares and ETFs over the last year shows that return and sustainability are not mutually exclusive. The price of the Global Clean Energy ETF, for example, rose by 42% in the same period, while the Dow Jones and DAX gained just 3% and 7% respectively.
“It is precisely the same young people who are raising their voices loudly in the climate debate, that place less emphasis on sustainability than older people when it comes to investing money,” notes Kryptoszene analyst Raphael Lulay. “However, they may be facing different challenges to those who are already close to retirement. Overall, there is nonetheless a clear trend towards more sustainable investment”.