Sustainable investing means putting your money into companies and funds chosen for their environmental and social impact as well as their financial return. The whole point is to do it without sacrificing your returns, which is why the screening method matters as much as the intention. As a beginner you start by deciding which values matter to you, picking a diversified low-cost fund or app, starting small and regular, and checking it is ASIC regulated and that you have read the PDS.
inaam is an ASIC regulated impact investing app for Australians starting out. The subscription is $10 a month, which is $120 a year, and it is separate from the money you invest. The minimum to invest in the fund is $100. Contributions can recur automatically. The fund holds 23 companies across five impact themes: renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, sustainable consumption, health and wellbeing, and waste and recycling. You customise them yourself, and sign-up happens in the app rather than on this website.
More Australians are looking at investing as a way to do more than grow wealth. Climate emergencies, rising inequality and a decade of corporate scandal have made people ask where their money sits. They want it to do some good as well, which is what sustainable investing sets out to do.
This guide is for beginners investing in Australia, and for anyone who has toyed with the idea of investing ethically. It sticks to tools you can use and words you would say out loud.
what sustainable investing is
Sustainable investing means choosing investments that take environmental, social and governance factors into account. It comes down to one question: what kind of businesses am I funding with my money? The Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA) tracks the growth of responsible investing across Australia and New Zealand, and their annual benchmarks show the sector growing fast.
The answer might be renewable energy instead of fossil fuels, or companies that support diversity instead of exploitative labour.
Sustainability has become a market driver. Bloomberg Intelligence expects global ESG assets to pass US$40 trillion by 2030. ESG investing in Australia is now mainstream.
why it matters in 2026
Look at what is happening around us:
- Climate events are intensifying. Australia’s recent floods and heatwaves have prompted urgent calls for green transitions.
- Ethical superannuation options have held up against traditional peers in RIAA’s benchmark reporting.
why now
the point is timing
Backing the transition early is a position on where the economy is heading. The companies that solve these problems are the ones being funded now, and funding is what decides which industries grow.
sustainable, ethical and impact
These terms get jumbled constantly. Here is how they differ:
| what it does | driven by | |
|---|---|---|
| sustainable | Factors in ESG alongside profits. Often used in ETFsExchange-Traded Fund. Like a pre-made playlist of stocks you can buy in one go on the stock exchange. to reduce risk and find stronger companies. | Risk management |
| ethical | Avoids industries you see as harmful: tobacco, gambling, weapons, fossil fuels. Focuses on doing less harm. | Personal values |
| impact | Invests in businesses that do measurable good. The GIIN estimated the market at US$1.57 trillion globally in 2024. | Measurable outcomes |
Treat sustainability as the floor you build a portfolio on.
how to start investing, even with $100
step 1: pick a platform
Look for investing platforms that support fractional investingBuying a tiny slice of a share instead of the whole thing. If one share costs $500, you can invest $20 and own a fraction of it. and include ethical or sustainability filters. Choose one that lines up with your values and is honest about where your money goes. ASIC’s Moneysmart investing guide has a useful checklist for choosing one.
step one
download before you decide
Most platforms let you look around before you put a cent in. Read the holdings, the fees and the PDS. If a platform will not show you what it owns before you join, that is your answer.
step 2: set your budget
You do not need thousands to begin. Start with whatever amount fits your budget each month. Even $100 is plenty, and that happens to be the minimum to invest in the inaam fund. Consistency matters more than the size of the first contribution.
step two
work out what you value first
Picking themes before you pick products keeps you from buying whatever is being advertised that month. Two minutes on the money values quiz is usually enough to tell you which of the five themes you care about most.
step 3: diversify
Avoid putting all your money in a single stock. Use ETFs or a mixed portfolio so the risk is spread. Two beginner friendly ethical ETFs listed in Australia:
- ETHI, global ethical leaders.
- FAIR, an Australian ethical fund.
step three
a portfolio is a spread of companies
Holding one company means one company decides how you do. Holding a spread inside a theme means the theme decides, which is a far more sensible thing to have a view about.
step 4: track performance and impact
Good platforms let you see your real world impact next to your balance, things like:
- CO2 emissions avoided.
- Jobs supported.
- Diversity and inclusion metrics.
If a platform reports the balance and nothing else, the impact side of the pitch is a claim you cannot check.
themes worth watching
Investing in themes lets you point your money at the areas driving the biggest change. These are the ones that matter now:
| what it funds | |
|---|---|
| clean energy | Solar, wind and hydrogen replacing fossil fuels. |
| circular economy | Recycling, re-use and waste to energy. |
| health equity | Making healthcare affordable and accessible. |
| financial inclusion | Banking, credit and financial tools for underserved communities. |
| First Nations enterprise | Indigenous-led businesses strengthening communities. |
what to watch out for
greenwashing
GreenwashingWhen a company talks a big game about being eco-friendly but does not back it up. is when a company makes itself look more environmentally friendly than it is. Some funds label themselves sustainable and still hold mining or big oil. Always check the holdings.
short-term thinking
Sustainable investments may not deliver huge gains overnight. They often take longer to show results.
risk still exists
Even ethical investments carry risk. Research them as carefully as you would any other financial decision. No fund is exempt from that, ours included.
the check that matters
read the holdings first
Every fund publishes what it owns. If the top ten companies do not look like the brochure, the brochure is the marketing and the holdings are the fund.
where inaam fits
how we do it
five themes, customised by you
inaam cuts through greenwashing by naming every company in the fund, with the impact data sitting next to it. You pick the five themes and customise them yourself, whenever you like.
The subscription is $10 a month, which is $120 a year, and it is separate from the money you invest. The minimum to invest in the fund is $100, and contributions can recur automatically. Sign-up happens in the app, not on this website. SMSFs and family trusts are welcome.
How the companies get picked, on financial robustness, purposeful impact and leadership calibre, is written out on how it works. If you want to know which themes matter most to you before you start, the money values quiz takes two minutes.
