In the past year 10 new ethical funds open to the general public have launched in the UK, with more expected. The new funds include ABN Amro’s Brazilian Emerging Market SRI Fund and HSBC’s Sustainability Leaders Fund.

Investment figures for 2006, due to be published shortly, are expected to show a large increase in the amount of UK money invested ethically.

“Growing concern over issues such as climate change mean that more and more people are beginning to think about the impacts their investments can have,” said EIRIS spokesperson Mark Robertson. “2006 saw a significant increase in interest in ethical investment from both individual investors and their advisers. It’s great to see some innovative new ethical products launched to meet this demand.”