Old Hands See a New Era for Green Investments in Malaysia

27 September 2010

British billionaire Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, speaks at a forum entitled 'Dawn of the New Decade – Alternative Investment in Asia' in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 27 Sept. 2010

Speakers at the conference on alternative investments said Monday that an increasing number of shareholders want assurances that their investments are environmentally friendly. And they want them return a healthy yield.

One of the speakers is Mary Buffett, an author, business woman and investor. Her books include several on the investment techniques of her former father-in-law, Warren Buffett, one of the world's wealthiest individuals.

She says that clean energy and the ability to produce alternative sources of fuel will play an increasingly important role in financial markets. That is particularly so in Asia where large populations in China, India and in Southeast Asia must compete for scarce resources.

"I believe that shareholders, especially younger shareholders, are going to be putting pressure on the companies and the investments that they own to make sure the companies put their feet to the fire and hold them to standards that they previously may not have had from an environmental standpoint," Buffett said.

She says investors today are very aware of the environmental and social costs tied to corporate activity.