There has been a recent growth in the popularity of so-called “impact” investments, which aim to increase positive benefits to society and marry social or environmental outcomes with financial returns. However, the rise in demand of impact investments also comes with a risk: impact washing.

As the attention and popularity of impact investing has grown, so has the ambiguity of the term and concerns about impact washing increased. The investment industry has to date not agreed on the true meaning of impact investing, which has led to a degree of confusion surrounding the term. The lack of uniform standards has led to the fear that unsustainable and unpopular practices and projects are being promoted as impact investments. Like “green washing”, impact washing is thus used by organizations to claim to be more environmentally friendly than they actually are.

Join us and sustainability investing professionals as we discuss the implications of this over drinks!