5 favourite books: Sustainable Investing and Impact investing related

These are some of my favourite Sustainable/SRI and Impact investing related books with you. In the industry, we call it sustainable investing so I may sometimes in my video, refer to it in this way.

I hope these books will help give you an overview of the values and approach to sustainability, business, economics and demonstrate how businesses can be financially sustainable, personally rewarding and healthier for the planet and all its inhabitants.

Transcript:

1. Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman — Including 10 More Years of Business Unusual by Yvon Chouinard

My first recommendation is Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman by Yvon Chouinard, who is an American rock climber, environmentalist, and outdoor industry billionaire businessman.

In this memoir, the founder of Patagonia reveals how he wove his personal values into the fabric of his company from the very beginning. Chouinard wanted Patagonia not only to cater to other rock climbing and surfing enthusiasts like himself but also to govern itself by the highest standards for environmental sustainability and social responsibility.

Although he talks about the philosophies that make Patagonia the company of integrity that it is today, what is most insightful is Chouinard’s personal story. From childhood he developed a passion for the outdoors, and when he was 18 years old he developed and sold his own rock climbing equipment from the back of his car. Clearly, he was determined to live and work by his own values. This book is an inspiring example of how companies can build their business model around SRI values. Patagonia is also incredibly successful in material terms.

If you visit Patagonia’s website, you will see their home page includes Activism which is quite unusual. Since 1985, Patagonia has pledged 1% of sales to the preservation and restoration of the natural environment which is pretty remarkable. Their core values are also such an interesting read and…