Greek businesses out of the ESG loop

Investor interest in more responsible investments and skepticism towards controversial securities is a growing global trend and one that Greece is having trouble keeping up with.

Fund managers and institutional investors are increasingly including three non-financial factors in their investment strategies: the environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors that will play a key role in determining their priorities and next investment moves. These factors are being taken into serious account by funds managing large amounts of assets, as well as by such corporate giants as Royal Dutch Shell, which have come under increasing pressure to reduce their environmental footprint.

Data by Morningstar surveyors showed that the total value of assets managed by European ESG funds in end-2018 came to 684 billion euros, up from 537.7 billion in 2017. The growing interest by funds...