Document summary
There is strong supporting evidence that for those investors who wish to treat social and environmental impact investment as a purely financial asset class it can deliver reasonable rates of return, possibly with an element of diversification. Underlying businesses moreover will have a strong license to operate. The enhanced due diligence involved compared to mainstream investment should prima facie remove a potential source of investment risk. The business space however is not yet mature and the full evidence base will only be developed as increasing numbers of financially orientated funds are wound up and performance statistics made more widely available.