Ethical Finance in Britain: A Neglected Prerequisite for Sustainability

Financial institutions play a central role in capital and debt markets, providing the finance that shapes development patterns, and thus environmental pressures. Environmental law has traditionally focused on development itself, but not the capital allocation function. Consequently, the underlying market dynamics and growth imperatives are not adequately addressed. To achieve sustainable development in Britain, new legal tools and policies to promote ethical financing in the financial services sector are necessary. This article explains why ethical financing is important to sustainability, surveys the range of financial institutions in Britain relevant to ethical finance, and makes recommendations to improve the regulatory and institutional context for financing sustainable development