Nordea: Corporates, not activists, will drive environmental agenda

Consumers 'real driving force' for changing corporate behaviour

The collective voices of consumers and corporates will be far more influential than any politicians or protest groups in terms of driving the global environmental agenda, according to the managers of the €1.2bn Nordea 1 Global Climate and Environment fund.

Henning Padberg, who co-manages the portfolio with Thomas Sørensen, said while the rise of pressure groups and activists helps accelerate the rate of progress and helps with raising awareness, said he believes the purchasing decisions of consumers are the real driving force behind changing corporate behaviour. "Their demands, expectations and buying decisions are very powerful, and drive increasing business momentum towards more sustainable and less environmentally harmful solutions," he said. "As fundamental investors we keep a very close dialogue with our investments. By meeting com...