The green investing movement has totaled at least $30.7 trillion of funds held in sustainable or green investments in 2018, up 34% from 2016, data show.

A new platform from the World Wide Fund for Nature aims to provide a foundation for ESG-conscious investors and a list of best-practice providers.

Even dedicated ESG indexes have shortcomings that many investors are probably unaware of, an expert says.

The firm now plans to integrate sustainability criteria into portfolio construction and exit investments with high risks from ESG-related issues.

David Vogel, who spent five years using data to study the impact of global warming, is starting the fund as pensions and large investors increasingly seek ESG investments.

Protesters and nonprofits are ramping up criticism of the largest fund managers for what they say is insufficient action around the global environmental crisis.

ETFs tracking themes — such as robotics, blockchain and cannabis — closed the year just 1% higher than where it started.

Some 225 funds traded for the first time over the past 12 months, down for a second-straight year.

The fund will track an index that divides the industry into five categories: pharmaceuticals, testing and analytics, cultivators, hemp and ancillary business.

"It's going to become increasingly more important for financial professionals to understand the potential benefits of sustainable investing," an exec says.

“It’s going to become increasingly more important for financial professionals to understand the potential benefits of sustainable investing,” an executive says.

The planned launch from Cornerstone Capital would be the firm’s first stock fund for individual investors with social and environmental goals.

Challenges abound even without the issues posed by inconsistent global definitions.

“The market is actually using proxies for understanding ESG data,” says BlackRock’s global head of sustainable investing.

Equity funds tracking the sector are the second-most popular asset class after U.S. government bonds this year, BNP Paribas says.

As the sector grows to over $30 trillion in Europe, North America, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, one popular approach consists of excluding offenders.

The decommissioning of redundant measures outweighed the creation of new benchmarks, according to a new report from the Index Industry Association.

Among the honors this year by NICSA are awards for operational excellence, and advances in product development and technology.

Studies purport to have proven both that socially responsible investing hurts returns, and that it can boost performance.

Cash flow has subsided and market conditions have changed since the fund was closed to most new accounts in 2016.