Today’s discussion is about Alcoa’s proposed expansion of bauxite mining in WA’s jarrah forests, which has raised major concerns in the community. The expansion would lock in decades of additional carbon emissions through land clearing, transport, and alumina refining – flying in the face of both climate targets and public expectations for lowering emissions. Also, independent studies have revealed multiple high-risk pathways for contamination of Perth’s drinking water, emissions and water, the project threatens critical habitats for endangered Baudin's black-cockatoos, numbats, and a range of other native species...and it will decimate one of the world’s oldest Biodiversity Hotspots.   

I interviewed Peter Milne, the founder and editor of Boiling Cold, an independent news platform covering energy, climate, and industry in Western Australia. With a background in engineering and two decades in the oil and gas sector, Peter brings a huge amount of lived experience into his investigative reporting, earning multiple media awards for exposing stories that affect both the environment and the community. See: boilingcold and alcoa-investigation. 

For ethical investors, this is a classic case study. On paper, companies like Alcoa can sometimes score strongly on ESG metrics, yet in this case researcher Ethos-ESG currently gives them an ‘F’ Report card - the lowest rating. It highlights the range of negative impacts involved in their operations, including devastating impacts on biodiversity, community health and climate resilience. Investors who want their capital to align with sustainability principles would be worried about the risks to ecosystems and our society…but in addition, after hearing from Peter about the financial risks involved, any investor would be concerned. 

We would encourage all investors to ask their super fund or investment manager whether they invest in Alcoa. Our website lists ‘Investor Questions to Ask Alcoa’ because we don’t just want to raise awareness – we want to equip you to take action. These questions are designed to help investors hold companies like Alcoa accountable, cut through the PR, and get real answers. Whether you’re a default ‘Balanced fund’ investor or are concerned about the impacts of mining on WA’s forests, these questions highlight the issues that matter and show how your financial decisions can drive change.

Bauxite mining firms like Alcoa and South32 have already stripped away tens of thousands of hectares of jarrah forest over the past six decades; this new expansion threatens even more—carbon stores, air quality, world-class trails, biodiversity and habitat for threatened wildlife all hang in the balance

Alcoa’s vision is to “build a legacy of excellence for future generations.” Yet the reality of this expansion paints the opposite picture: a legacy of cleared forests, polluted water, displaced wildlife, and worsening climate impacts. As the research makes clear, these jarrah forests are irreplaceable. To leave behind stripped landscapes, dwindling biodiversity, and unsafe drinking water is not a gift to future generations—it is a burden they will have to carry long after the profits have been extracted.

We wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we recorded on, the Wardandi Noongar people. We pay our respects to them and their culture; and to elders past, present and emerging. 

For more information about JustInvest & EIA: justinvest and ethicalinvestment

PS Thanks to Sabrina Hahn for the term 'Western Annihilation'! 

I was blown away to hear Moe Turaga's story at a recent conference. Most of the time we think of Modern Slavery as a distant problem – something that happens in other countries. So how do we react when we find out that it's happening right here in Australia, often in plain sight. Moe Turaga bravely shared his first-hand experience of being exploited under slavery conditions. What are we missing here? Which products on the shelves of supermarkets and retail stores have been put there by exploiting workers?

In this interview, we’re joined by Måns Carlsson, Head of ESG at Ausbil Investment Management, to understand the role of companies, consumers and investors in confronting this crisis facing an estimated 50 million people worldwide. Måns is a recognised leader in Modern Slavery and worker exploitation, with a long standing commitment to addressing human rights risks across portfolios. So much so that he was awarded the Order of Australia Medal in 2022 for his contribution to the sustainable investment industry.

Måns takes us inside his work — from visiting factories and engaging directly with companies, to pushing for stronger transparency, and harnessing innovations in technology. 

This is a confronting but crucial conversation about responsibility, accountability, and the power investors have to protect human dignity, both in Australia and around the world. We hope you find value in this important discussion with Måns Carlsson of Ausbil…and special thanks to Moe Turaga for sharing his story. 

Link to the latest Toolkit on Human Rights  (download for free) 

Link to the Baptist World Aid Fashion Guide (download for free)

You can check out Ausbil at www.ausbil.com.au and disclaimer HERE. 

For more information about James Baird, JustInvest Financial Planning and Ethical Investment Advisers see: justinvest and ethicalinvestment

 Not all ethical investments are created equal. In this episode, we go deep into the world of green and sustainable bonds with David Gallagher, Head of Australian Fixed Income at Artesian. Prior to joining Artesian, David spent 9 years in the United Kingdom working for Deutsche Bank and RBS. David has a Master of Applied Finance from Kaplan and won the Dux Award in the process. 

 David shares how fixed income can fund real-world solutions — from affordable housing to climate resilience — while delivering competitive returns. We explore various impact bonds, how Artesian are working on growing the green (and blue) bond market, and why this asset class is gaining serious momentum.

 We hope you enjoy this discussion with David Gallagher of Artesian. 

 We wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we recorded on, the Wardandi Noongar people. We pay our respects to them and their culture; and to elders past, present and emerging. 

 You can check out Artesian and the Green and Sustainable Bond fund at artesianinvest.com. For more information about James Baird, JustInvest Financial Planning and Ethical Investment Advisers see: justinvest and ethicalinvestment

This interview is with George Bishay and Murray Ackman from the Regnan Credit Impact Trust team. In this discussion we demystify impact bonds, with some real life stories about the positive social and environmental impact that bonds can provide. 

George’s investment management career spans over 30 years with Regnan’s parent Pendal and its predecessor firms. He has also worked across numerous fixed income, credit and money market portfolios in fund management, credit analysis and dealing roles in that time. George holds Bachelor and Masters degrees in Business, and a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment.

Murray joined Pendal in 2020 to provide fundamental credit analysis and integrate ESG research across credit funds. Before joining the team, Murray worked as an independent consultant measuring ESG for family offices and Private Equity firms. Prior to this Murray was a Research Fellow at the Institute for Economics and Peace where he led research for the Institute on the Sustainable Development Goals, violent extremism and engagement with business. He has also worked as a management consultant and for a welfare organisation. Murray holds a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and International Relations, a First Class Honours degree and a Bachelor of Law from the University of New South Wales.

We hope you enjoy this discussion with George Bishay and Murray Ackman of the Regnan Credit Impact Trust. 

You can check out Regnan and this fund at regnan-credit-impact-trust. See also:

- the-social-bond-that-found-an-affordable-house-for-mum-to-be-kaitlyn

 - impact-investors-helped-stacey-and-luna-find-low-cost-housing

- women-like-nasima-are-finding-a-career-path-with-help-from-regnan-investors

We wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we recorded on, the Wardandi Noongar people. We pay our respects to them and their culture; and to elders past, present and emerging. 

For more information about James Baird, JustInvest Financial Planning and Ethical Investment Advisers see: justinvest and ethicalinvestment

This interview is with Tim Crockford, who leads the Regnan Global Equity Impact Solutions team. In this wide ranging discussion we cover Trump 2.0, investing in climate adaptation as well as mitigation, smart grids, water leaks, AI, EV’s, innovative Indonesian banking, and other positive impact investments. 

 Tim co-founded the Hermes Impact team in 2016 and managed the Hermes Impact Opportunities Equity Fund from its launch in 2017. He joined Hermes in 2009, later becoming lead portfolio manager of the ESG-integrated Hermes Europe ex-UK Equity Fund. Before that, he was an analyst at both Sourcecap International and Execution Limited. Tim was raised and educated in Malta, graduating from the University of Malta in 2006 with a Bachelor of Accountancy (Hons) and a Bachelor of Commerce degree.

We hope you enjoy this discussion with Tim Crockford of the Regnan Global Equity Impact Solutions team. 

 You can check out Regnan and this fund at regnan-global-equity-impact-solutions-fund. For more information about James Baird, JustInvest Financial Planning and Ethical Investment Advisers see: justinvest and ethicalinvestment.

We wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we recorded on, the Wardandi Noongar people. We pay our respects to them and their culture; and to elders past, present and emerging. 

I always enjoy my conversations with the team at NorthStar Impact Funds, and this interview with Claudia Kwan is no exception. Claudia has a thoughtful and passionate perspective on impact investing - it’s not about ticking boxes or keeping up appearances, it’s about solving real-world problems by investing in innovative companies offering practical, viable solutions. We get to the heart of Impact Investing, which fundamentally is about creating positive impact whilst making an investment return. Refer Impact case study on SciDev here

Claudia has over 15 years of experience as a business and investment professional with extensive experience in stock research. Prior to joining NorthStar Impact, she was a Senior Investment Analyst with Morphic Asset Management, and also had roles at Smithtan Asset Management in Hong Kong, Morgan Stanley (HK), Management Consultant in China, and Saltbush Funds management.

Claudia has a Bachelor of Business/ Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from University of Technology, Sydney.

I hope you enjoy listening to this interview with Claudia Kwan of NorthStar Impact Funds (Note that NorthStar was formerly known as Inspire Australian Equities, and I interviewed Founder and CIO Kerry Series back in December 2021, if you’d like to go back and listen to that episode.   

You can check out their website at: northstarimpact. Link to DISCLAIMERS

We wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we recorded on, the Wardandi Noongar people. We pay our respects to them and their culture; and to elders past, present and emerging. 

For more information about James Baird and JustInvest Financial Planning see: justinvest and ethicalinvestment.   

An Ethical Investment Week 2024 interview: 'What type of ethical investor are you?'

It’s been 3 years since we had a chat to Australian Ethical about their ethics, and they have grown substantially since then. Today we’re excited to interview Persephone Fraser, who is the (Acting) Ethical Stewardship Lead at Australian Ethical. In addition to the Stewardship role, she performs ethics research to define AE’s sustainable investment universe. She is responsible for assessing investments against the Australian Ethical Charter, evaluating the impacts of industries and investments on people, animals and the planet. 
 
 She is also responsible for policy advocacy and strategic engagement work streams and communications, with her focus areas being climate change, including high emitting and hard to abate sectors like built environment, and transition facilitating activities like transition minerals and hydrogen. Before joining Australian Ethical in 2020, Persephone worked in research across the Climate Justice Initiative, Common Capital, Reconciliation Australia, and the Greens.

 I’ll clarify an acronym mentioned: M&A –stands for ‘Mergers and Acquisitions’, which describes the consolidation of multiple companies and their assets through a range of financial transactions – for example, via a takeover or sale of a business.

We hope you enjoy this discussion with Persephone Fraser of Australian Ethical. 

We wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we recorded on, the Wardandi Noongar people. We pay our respects to them and their culture; and to elders past, present and emerging. 

You can check out Australian Ethical at australianethical.com.au, and detailed infomration about their ethical charter and criteria here. For more information about James Baird, JustInvest Financial Planning and Ethical Investment Advisers see: justinvest and ethicalinvestment.

Today’s interview is with Madeleine Huynh, ESG Analyst and Assistant Equities Analyst at Perennial Partners. This is our second Green Dream interview on the Better Future Fund, with the first being a discussion with Damian Cottier in September 2022 called ‘Aligning Profit with Purpose’, if you’d like to go back and have a listen. In this discussion, as well as talking about the fund holdings I wanted to focus on the work that is being done behind the scenes on reducing emissions, combatting modern slavery and prioritising women’s leadership, at both board and executive levels. 

 Maddie joined the Perennial Better Future team in 2021. Prior to joining Perennial, she undertook a cadetship at UBS Investment Bank and rotated across their equities and global banking divisions. Maddie holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Sydney. She is passionate about pursuing strong, consistent investment returns for investors, while driving improved social and environmental outcomes for the community.

We hope you enjoy this discussion with Maddie Huynh of the Perennial Better Future Trust. 

You can check out the Better Future Trust at better-future-fund. For more information about James Baird, JustInvest Financial Planning and Ethical Investment Advisers see: justinvest and ethicalinvestment.

 Also here’s the link to the Alison Roman recipe that Maddie mentioned! salted-butter-chocolate-chunk-shortbread   
 
We wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we recorded on, the Wardandi Noongar people. We pay our respects to them and their culture; and to elders past, present and future. 

In this discussion with Tom King of Nanuk Asset Management we venture into the heart of the nuclear debate. Nuclear energy is an enigma…on paper, it presents itself as a low-emission ‘knight in shining armour’ solution against climate change. However, as we delve into the details, we confront the stark realities – the main challenges are the huge financial burden and the formidable competitors in the form of low cost renewable energy sources. We explore whether nuclear power is the solution we've been seeking, or merely a diversion from more economical and efficient renewable alternatives. It's time to strip away the facade and examine the true cost of our choices in the pursuit of net zero.

Tom King joined Nanuk in 2009 and is a director, chief investment officer and portfolio manager with the team. He has approximately 20 years’ investment industry experience in equity funds management, investment banking and private equity. Tom holds a first class honours degree in Engineering from the University of Melbourne. 

Topics mentioned in the discussion:

·        The NuScale Power cost blowout:  small-modular-nuclear-reactor-that-was-hailed-by-coalition-as-future-cancelled-due-to-rising-costs

·        Craig Reucassel on ABC iview: fight-for-planet-a-our-climate-challenge

I hope you enjoy this interview with Tom King of Nanuk Asset Management. 

You can check out Nanuk’s website at: www.nanukasset.com

For more information about James Baird and JustInvest Financial Planning see: www.justinvest.net.au and Ethical Investment Advisers www.ethicalinvestment.com.au.

We wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we recorded on, the Wardandi Noongar people. We pay our respects to them and their culture; and to elders past, present and emerging. 

Today, our focus turns to property. Andrew Cole is Head of ESG at Charter Hall, a prominent Australian property group that is once again highly rated 2023 Global Real Estate Benchmark (GRESB) rankings. GRESB is widely considered to be the leading ESG assessment for real estate, providing a reporting framework for property portfolios and measurement  of sustainability performance. It assesses an eye watering 7.2 trillion USD of gross asset  value under management across  74 countries, and it offers an assessment of like for like environmental performance at the asset and entity level for property energy, emissions, water and waste.

 So how does Charter Hall achieve such a high sustainability ranking compared to global peers? In this episode, we discuss some of the various ESG initiatives which contribute to Charter Hall’s high sustainability ranking compared to global peers. We'll explore how their commitment to sustainability isn't just greenwash, but is embedded in the company’s culture.

Andrew joined Charter Hall in 2021 from Lendlease where he worked for more than 14 years. Prior to this, Andrew worked with the NSW Department of Planning, supporting sustainability policy for residential homes and industry engagement. 

I hope you enjoy this discussion with Andrew Cole.

Check out the Charter Hall website at www.charterhall.com.au 

For more information about James Baird, JustInvest Financial Planning and Ethical Investment Advisers see: justinvest and ethicalinvestment.  

We wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we recorded on, the Wardandi Noongar people. We pay our respects to them and their culture; and to elders past, present and emerging.