POWERED BY MOMENTUM MEDIA
Millennials using super to back climate change action
Young Australians are putting their money where their mouth is when it comes to climate change, according to data from millennial superannuation fund Zuper.
The tobacco and nuclear-weapon free fund launched late last year helped Australians add green, health and technology investments to their super funds using exchange traded funds (ETFS) from BlackRock.
They were low-cost investment products that the wealth manager believed would benefit from global megatrends that reshaped economies, like climate change.
Jess Ellerm, Zuper chief executive, said half of Zuper members chose to remove carbon-intensive fossil fuels from their super when joining.
“Over two-thirds of our members also go the extra mile, adding at least one of our health, green or tech options to their super,” Ellerm said.
The fund had invested in global clean energy and water companies with those ETFs returning 21% and 34% this year.
Two-thirds of Zuper members are under 35 years-old, a demographic that had been increasingly frustrated by lack of action on climate change.
The data was released in the lead-up to Friday’s climate strike, which showed younger Australians actions had aligned with their attitude on the issue.
“You don’t necessarily have to leave work on Friday to show you believe in climate change - you can strike with your money by switching your super to be climate friendly,” Ellerm said.
“As our data shows, you’ll possibly increase your long term wealth in the process too.”
Recommended for you
The lower outlook for inflation has set the stage for another two rate cuts over the first half of 2026, according to Westpac.
With private asset valuations emerging as a key concern for both regulators and the broader market, Apollo Global Management has called on the corporate regulator to issue clear principles on valuation practices, including guidance on the disclosures it expects from market participants.
Institutional asset owners are largely rethinking their exposure to the US, with private markets increasingly being viewed as a strategic investment allocation, new research has shown.
Australia’s corporate regulator has been told it must quickly modernise its oversight of private markets, after being caught off guard by the complexity, size, and opacity of the asset class now dominating institutional portfolios.
TOP PERFORMING FUNDS
ACS FIXED INT - AUSTRALIA/GLOBAL BOND
Fund name
3y(%)pa
1
DomaCom DFS Mortgage
92.15 3 y p.a(%)
2
Global X 21Shares Bitcoin ETF
53.24 3 y p.a(%)
3
Global X GlobalX FANG+ ETF
43.15 3 y p.a(%)
4
DomaCom Shoreline North Coogee
36.26 3 y p.a(%)
5
GAM LSA Private Shares AU I
35.87 3 y p.a(%)
