The number of European individuals who had their portfolios managed sustainably during 2009 rose, new figures show.
According to the European Sustainable Investment Forum (Eurosif), 11 per cent of high-net worth individuals in the region are now having their investments managed in an environmentally-friendly manner.
Eurosif said the figures represented an increase on eight per cent two years ago and now totals €729 billion.
The company predicts that by 2013 the portfolio share represented by sustainable investment will be 15 per cent or just below the €1.2 trillion mark.
Indeed, Eurosif states that the main drivers behind the search for a greener investment future were "responsibility, financial opportunity and the search for sustainable return".
Clare Brook, co-manager of the Wheb sustainability fund, said Eurosif's predictions very much reflected the sort of interest Wheb Asset Management was receiving.
"They [investors] are putting money in because they genuinely think these areas over time will grow faster than the economy as a whole," she explained.