Earth Day 2024: Empowering Clients to Invest in a Non-Plastic Future

Earth Day 2024 is focused on the critical theme of "Planet vs Plastics," highlighting the urgent need to reduce plastic pollution and embrace sustainable alternatives. As financial advisors, you have a unique opportunity to drive meaningful change by helping clients align their investments with their values and having conversations about investment impact with your clients if that is a focus for them.

Plastic: used in minutes, lasting lifetimes

Many may not be aware of the staggering statistics surrounding plastic waste, such as the fact that over 100 billion plastic beverage containers were sold in the U.S. last year, with only 5% being recycled.

These petroleum-based plastics can take hundreds of years to decompose, polluting our oceans, harming wildlife, and even entering our food chain through microplastics.

The "Plant vs Plastics" theme emphasizes the importance of transitioning from harmful plastic materials to sustainable, plant-based alternatives such as:

- Bamboo: A fast-growing, renewable resource that can be used to create durable, reusable products like straws, utensils, and even fabric.
- Hemp: A versatile plant that can be used to make everything from biodegradable packaging to eco-friendly building materials.
- Biodegradable plastics: Innovative materials made from natural sources like cornstarch and sugarcane that can break down quickly and safely in the right composting conditions.

By sharing this information and discussing the "Plant vs Plastics" theme, you can help your clients understand the urgency of the issue and the importance of transitioning towards these sustainable alternatives. This presents a valuable opportunity to align your clients' investments with their values and the health of our planet and ourselves.

Advisors, here's how you can spark impactful conversations with your clients this Earth Week:

Educate on Values-Based Investing: Discuss how investing in companies that prioritize innovative, sustainable materials can reduce plastic waste and drive long-term growth.
Assess Portfolio Impact: Evaluate the impact of current investments and explore alternatives that better align with your client's values.
Promote Engagement: Encourage clients to engage with companies in their portfolios about their practices and policies regarding plastics and sustainability, or work together to find shareholder engagement filings.

As an advisor, you have the opportunity to make Earth Day a year-round conversation by incorporating sustainability into your regular client discussions and investment strategies. By educating clients, assessing portfolio impact, and promoting engagement, you can empower them to generate positive change in their communities and globally.  

Tangible Reporting to drive client conversations

To help you drive these conversations, we offer Metaphor Reports within the Values Hub platform. These reports translate complex environmental data into relatable terms, making it easier for you to showcase the impact of your client's investments.

For instance, investing $1M in this sample portfolio over 10 years could be responsible for:

- 139,612 more fish harmed from plastic
- 12,565,054 more pieces of plastic in the ocean
- 19,847 more showers worth of water

However, the same portfolio could also lead to positive impacts such as:

- 165 fewer garbage bags of waste
- 1,812 fewer solar panels needed to offset carbon emissions

Additionally, there exist 20+ metrics to select ranging across 5 main value themes to connect with clients on what matters most to them.

Earth is about lifetimes, not just one day

Without a healthy planet, there would be nothing to actually invest in. Promoting the health of our planet, society, and systems, can drive better engagement, outcomes, and impact for all.

Further, having the right tools to understand what clients care about, and solutions to drive capital towards sustainable solutions can empower your clients to generate change in their communities and globally.

This Earth Day, commit to being part of the solution. Schedule a demo to see how YourStake's Metaphor Reports can help you have more impactful client conversations this Earth Day and beyond.

By taking action today, you can play a pivotal role in promoting a healthier planet and a more sustainable future for generations to come.