Choosing an ESG mutual fund? Don’t trust the name

BlackRock’s new U.S. “Carbon Transition Readiness ETF”, which attracted $1.25 billion in investor dollars on the first day it launched, is chock-full of fossil fuel companies. “The people who invested in that fund thought they were addressing climate risk,” says Andrew Behar, As You Sow CEO. “Instead they got business as usual.”

Sadly, that’s not unusual. Of the 88 funds with “ESG” in their name, 35 earn a D or F on climate change or deforestation and 43 earn a D or F on at least one issue in our Invest Your Values screens.

So don’t believe the name or the marketing. Take a few minutes to find out what a fund actually owns, at www.asyousow.org/invest-your-values.