How ethical is 'ethical' investing?
Business Daily
BBC
4.4 • 816 Ratings
🗓️ 17 February 2026
⏱️ 18 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
We’re in Toronto in Canada, North America's second-biggest financial centre after New York, where so-called ethical investing has become big business, with many investors choosing funds they believe are better for people and the planet. But amid growing concerns about misleading environmental claims, it can be hard to know what’s genuinely ethical and what’s just clever marketing.
We explore how politics is reshaping corporate commitments and hear from campaigners and regulators working to crack down on financial greenwashing.
If you wouild like to get in touch with the team, our email address is businessdaily@bbc.co.uk
Presenter: Megan Lawton Producer: Sam Gruet
Business Daily is the home of in-depth audio journalism devoted to the world of money and work. From small startup stories to big corporate takeovers, global economic shifts to trends in technology, we look at the key figures, ideas and events shaping business.
Each episode is a 17-minute deep dive into a single topic, featuring expert analysis and the people at the heart of the story.
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(Photo: Sustainability consultant Lindsay Hampson works with companies around the world, helping them navigate ESG frameworks. Credit: Jon Evans)
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, radio, podcasts. |
| 0:06.5 | Hello and welcome to Business Daily on the BBC World Service. |
| 0:10.9 | I'm Megan Lawton, coming to you today from Canada and the heart of Toronto's financial district. |
| 0:17.6 | It's home to vast skyscrapers, people in smart suits and some of the country's biggest banks. |
| 0:24.9 | In fact, it's North America's second biggest financial center after New York. |
| 0:30.4 | And it's here that we're starting our journey into the world of ethical investing. |
| 0:35.5 | Ethical investing is an investment strategy where your values come into play. |
| 0:42.2 | Often called ESG investing, that's environmental, social and governance. |
| 0:47.1 | It's big business in Canada. |
| 0:48.6 | I think Canadians actually care about these issues. |
| 0:51.9 | If you pull the average Canadian, they really do care about |
| 0:54.9 | ethical investment. They care about social and governance issues and they really care about |
| 0:59.2 | the climate. In fact, the country is considered a major player. Around $7 and $10 managed by |
| 1:06.1 | big Canadian investment firms now include some kind of responsible investing strategy that's higher |
| 1:13.0 | than in the US and Europe. But even here, things aren't always straightforward. This year, |
| 1:19.3 | Canada's largest bank, the Royal Bank of Canada, dropped its sustainable finance targets. |
| 1:25.2 | There are some companies who continue to pursue ESG very aggressively and others that have |
| 1:31.6 | taken a step back. |
| 1:32.8 | Today, we're getting to the bottom of what's just clever marketing and what's genuinely ethical. |
| 1:38.8 | I mean, how easy is it, for example, to find truly green investments? |
| 1:44.0 | It's not as easy as you think it is, right? |
| 1:46.2 | Because there's a lot of greenwashing out there. |
... |
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