Triodos Bank UK has been awarded ‘Best Buy’ status by Ethical Consumer magazine for its sustainable investment funds and ISAs. The Triodos Global Equities Impact Fund scored a perfect 100/100—making it the only fund in the guide to achieve this and one of just two products ever to earn a full score. The Triodos Pioneer Impact Fund followed closely with a score of 96/100. Recognition was based on sustainability, transparency, executive pay, and avoidance of harmful sectors.
Ethical Consumer remarked that Triodos “remains the gold standard in ethical finance”, being uniquely foundation-owned to safeguard its social mission. Triodos was highlighted for exclusively offering sustainable financial products, maintaining a low CEO-to median pay ratio, and existing to serve its customers, not just shareholders.
Ethical Consumer ranked 22 green and ethical investment funds, finding that Triodos had strong ethical policies that apply to all funds, a range of robust exclusions and sector-leading transparency.
Stocks & Shares and Innovative Finance ISAs
Triodos was also ranked as Best Buy for its Stocks & Shares and Innovative Finance ISAs, both with a perfect score of 100/100.
Triodos was the only company to receive a good rating overall for its Stocks & Shares ISA, leading the scoreboard by 48 points, and the only company to fully exclude fossil fuels from its investments. Triodos was highlighted for its “exemplary transparency”, and for only investing in sustainable companies and projects screened through a detailed ethical investment policy.
Triodos’s Innovative Finance ISA also scored 100% and was ranked a Best Buy, which enables investors to crowdfund specific organisations that deliver positive impact.
Roger Hattam, director of retail banking at Triodos Bank UK, said: “We’re proud to be recognised as the sector-leading Best Buy for our investment funds against a strict and comprehensive methodology. Triodos’s perfect scores reflect our dedication to transparency, human rights and climate action.
“Now, we need other financial providers to follow suit. More than ever, the financial sector needs to show commitment to a fair and sustainable future, enabling investors to align their money with their values.”
Ethical Consumer editor, Rob Harrison, said: “The finance sectors’ preference for choosing financial return over ethics at almost every turn is contributing to many of the crises around us. However, as their customers, we have some influence on the decisions that these investors make. For ethical investors, the values marketed in a fund should be matched by the behaviour of the company behind it. Our finance guides are really popular with our readers, in particular our Stocks & Shares ISAs ratings. Hopefully our research prompts a few more people to carefully consider their investment choices.“
Earlier this year, Triodos was also awarded ‘Best Buy’ status by Ethical Consumer magazine for its personal current account and savings accounts, leading the personal current account scoreboard by over 20 points.