In practice, this could range from setting specific criteria for selecting the companies and stocks we invest in to intentionally seeking out investment opportunities offering clear positive social and / or environmental impact. In all cases, these investments should be aligned with and seek to advance RS Group’s values and mission.
Acting within one’s values and purpose is important, because we have seen how a system of capitalism that focuses solely on profits can wreak havoc on our economy, on society, the environment, and on individual lives; we need look no further than the 2008 financial crisis, the British Petroleum oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, and the recent Volkswagen emissions scandal for illustration.
Just as we know GDP does not reflect the full quality of an economy or the well-being of a society, we are increasingly realizing that by focusing only on financial returns we have ignored, at our peril, the cumulative negative environmental and social impacts generated by business. Humanity is collectively paying the price of environmental degradation, social injustices, and a widening gap between the haves and the have-nots.
