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Ethical
Finance and Investment:
Lots of institutions now offer
products with 'ethical' components -before entering any financial
arrangement you may wish to ask for details of the companies
policy -they can cover a number of areas -climate change, social
responsibility, arms and warfare. This is one area where you
can use your influence as a consumer to make a difference.
We have listed a range of UK
banks below, but for those with ethical and environmental agendas,
you should try Triodos
or the Co-operative
Bank. For ethical pensions, Standard
Life, Norwich
Union and Friends
Provident all have ethical schemes -you can get some good
background on this from the Green
Consumer Guide or EIRIS.
Ethical
Finance Organisations:
- Ethical
Investment Co-operative
-a democratically run co-operative which draws financial advisers
from across the country to share experience, skills and resources
to help promote ethical investment in the UK.
- Ethical
Investment Research Service
(EIRIS) was established as the UK's first independent research
service in ethical investment, providing the underlying research
into companies' social, environmental and ethical performance
needed by investors to make informed and socially responsible
investment decisions.
- Ethical Investors Group -sets out to provides a specialist financial
advice service to those who care about their world and its preservation,
and wish to extend this philosophy to all areas of their lives
-investments, pensions, life assurance and mortgages.
- Friends of the Earth -FOE advice on selecting ethical investments.
- Gaeia
Partnership -Independent
Financial Advisers specialising in ethical investment incorporating
environmental & socially responsible investments.
Finance
in General:
- Bank of England
-the "old lady of Threadneedle Street" -the Bank sets
UK monetary policy.
- British
Bankers Association
-the leading trade association in the banking and financial services
industry representing banks and other financial services firms
operating in the UK. Useful for market statistics.
- HM Customs and Excise -VAT refunds for do-it-yourself builders
and converters.
- Inland Revenue
-news and information on tax and national insurance, including
downloadable leaflets and forms and the latest news on filing
tax returns on-line.
- Office of Fair Trading -for advice on consumer debt.
- Banks and
Pension Providers:
- Co-operative Bank
-the original ethical bank -their policy introduced in 1992 supports
fair trade and excludes investment in any government or business
that breaches human rights, engages in manufacture of arms, supports
oppressive regimes, or damages the environment.
- Friends Provident
-leading provider of financial services with a strong corporate
and social agenda.
- Triodos -ethical bank which finances companies,
institutions and projects that add cultural value and benefit
people and the environment. Products include the Triodos Renewable
Energy Bond which utilises your savings to help finance renewable
energy generation.
- Other banks:
- Abbey National
| Alliance and
Leicester | Allied Irish
| Bank of Ireland
| Bank of Scotland
| Barclays |Birmingham
Midshires | Co-operative
| Coutts | Halifax
| HSBC | Lloyds
TSB | National Westminster
| Nationwide | Royal Bank of Scotland | Triodos | Yorkshire
Bank |
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