The last few years have seen environmental and ethical concerns continuously climb towards the top of the global agenda. This trend has been driven by a powerful combination of inter-related factors: an increase in environmental knowledge and media coverage; a rise in consumer awareness and concern regarding the environment; and a growing political will to legislate.

A key consequence of these various factors is that businesses have found that they are increasingly expected to play a leading role with environmental efforts, not only by taking steps to reduce their own carbon footprints, but also by helping their customers reduce the impact they have on the environment. Furthermore, as an increasing proportion of the consumer base begins to assess and actively respond to the environmental impact of their own lifestyles, this trend can only be expected to gather momentum.

This report looks at the impact that this rise in green issues is having within the financial services market. It considers what specific initiatives and policies are covered by the term green financial services, along with the prospects for future market growth, and reports industry views on a range of salient issues. In addition, it provides an analysis of Mintel’s independently-commissioned research, which provides an insightful consumer perspective on developments within the green financial services market.