{"id":36298,"date":"2022-11-22T19:20:50","date_gmt":"2022-11-23T00:20:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/test.greenmoney.com\/2025\/?p=36298"},"modified":"2023-11-27T15:47:01","modified_gmt":"2023-11-27T20:47:01","slug":"gender-is-an-untapped-opportunity-for-climate-smart-investors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.greenmoney.com\/2025\/gender-is-an-untapped-opportunity-for-climate-smart-investors\/","title":{"rendered":"Gender is an Untapped Opportunity for Climate-Smart Investors"},"content":{"rendered":"
>> Back to December 2023 Issue<\/a><\/div>\n
Above image \u2013 \u00a9Shannon Fagan, istockphoto<\/h5>\n

\"SuzanneI\u2019ve always been an environmentalist. I grew up with a real love for nature and especially the ocean \u2013 not only for humans, but for all living things \u2013 and as a young adult, supported groups like Tree People, Ocean Conservancy, NRDC, and Heal the Bay.<\/p>\n

So when my business partner and I sold our company in 1998 and I began using my capital to support other entrepreneurs, it was only natural that sustainability would be one of my key investment themes.<\/p>\n

I started investing in companies making sustainable food, sustainable packaging, and products that would reduce the amount of toxins in the environment. Soon after, I began to invest in climate solutions such as clean energy including solar, wind, and water. Early on, I joined Toniic<\/a>\u2019s 100% impact network, for investors who are committed to using their capital for impact across every investment.<\/p>\n

Sustainability wasn\u2019t my only investment theme. I was also an early adopter and field builder in gender-smart investing \u2013 a field which has become my life\u2019s work, as the co-founder of GenderSmart Investing Summit<\/a> and CEO of Catalyst at Large<\/a>. But combining these two lenses was challenging for a long time.<\/p>\n

In theory, ESG covered both, with climate and sustainability being covered by the \u201cE\u201d and the gender being folded into the \u201cS\u201d and the \u201cG.\u201d But in practice, gender and other diversity factors such as race and ethnicity often got pushed to the side under ESG\u2019s broad umbrella.<\/p>\n

Besides, I was looking for a deeper approach. One that accounted not just for the risks of ignoring climate and diversity, but for the opportunities that came with paying attention to them: of investing in innovators, creating good jobs, meeting the needs of all stakeholders, and working with investee companies to help them do better. Financial return had to be a part of that picture, but I was willing to consider a whole portfolio approach to return.<\/p>\n

Over the last few years, it\u2019s become easier to find vehicles that combine climate, sustainability, and gender\/inclusivity \u2013 especially in the private markets<\/a>, where at least 100 funds now have a dual gender and sustainability lens.<\/p>\n

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