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jalniso in action Socially Responsible InvestmentsSRI) Jains, the believers of Ahimsa, have historically chosen professions that cause minimum harm to other living beings. In this fast paced world of market forces, we need to be aware that Jain values of compassion and non-aggression are not compromised. Every dollar we invest carries an implication with it. If money is invested in a company that creates weapons then that money is inherently invested in war. If money is invested in a company that
slaughters animals then that money contributes to the suffering < of those animals. How does one ensure that their investments have
good returns and are not contributing to a more violent and inhumane world?
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Many investors, having been faced with this dilemma, have turned
to relatively newly created concept of Socially Responsible
Investments (or SRI for short). These usually come in the form of screened mutual funds. These funds use combinations of three tactics to ensure that their investors capital is not
going against some set of core values. Screening • Shareholder Advocacy Community Investing
It is interesting to note that according to the Social Investment Forum,
investment portfolios involved in SRI grew by more than 240 percent from 1995 to 2003, compared with the 174 percent growth of the overall
universe of assets under professional management over the same time period. It seems like in SRIs we perhaps can have the best of both worlds.0
Google “Socially Responsible Investments”, see for yourself.
