Purpose launches carbon offset ETF in Europe

Purpose Investments Inc. is launching a clean energy ETF in Europe that incorporates carbon offsetting.

The Toronto-based firm’s HANetf S&P Global Clean Energy Select HANzero UCITS ETF, a collaboration with London-based independent ETF specialist HANetf, is trading on the London Stock Exchange and the Deutsche Boerse.

The fund tracks the S&P Global Clean Energy Select Index to provide exposure to the 30 largest pure-play companies across the biofuel, fuel-cell technology, geothermal energy, hydroelectricity, solar and wind sectors, a release from Purpose said.

The fund also offsets carbon emissions linked to its investments. Using data from the S&P Dow Jones index’s carbon-to-value-invested figure to calculate a daily accrual, the fund will offset emissions with “climate-positive projects” linked to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and selected by carbon offset specialist South Pole, the release said. The projects will be subject to screening and third-party auditing.

Costs for the offsets will be paid from the ETF’s total expense ratio.

Purpose isn’t alone in offsetting carbon emissions in investment products. Other new funds are looking to apply carbon offsets to broad indexes or even to cryptoassets in order to neutralize their holdings’ emissions.

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