Your finances are funding our future

Your finances fund our future

Did you know your choice of bank and pension provider could be producing more carbon than going vegan, stopping flying and ditching the car, combined?

The average UK consumer produces about 10 tonnes of carbon emissions through their lifestyle, which is, shockingly, about the same as the emissions funded via their financial institutions. [1] [2]

It’s the reason I set up MyMotherTree.com.

Last year I discovered that 2% of my pension was going to Shell and BP every month.

Without me doing anything, I was funding the climate crisis.

And that wasn’t right.

I had to do something.

Do green funds grow?

At first, I was worried about giving up returns. Was ditching oil and gas going to impact my pension pot?

But the opposite was true!

MotherTree examined the default funds of major pension providers such as Scottish Widows and Aviva, and compared that to their sustainable options at the same risk
profile.

And you know what?

Over the past 5 years, The greener options grew 12-15% on average more than the default! [3]

So it actually paid to go green.

Fund the future you want

That’s why at MotherTree, we think UK consumers deserve more clarity on the impact of their finances and an easier way to change their provider when it’s not funding things they want.

So that’s why we launched MyMotherTree.com in June 2022.

And it’s our mission is to make it effortless to be green in all life’s choices.

We joined ORB shortly after launch to help spread the message and connect with like-minded people who have a positive impact on the planet and people.

It’s been a delight to be a member. ORB has really helped broadcast our message to make sure as many people as possible are waking up to the power of our finances.

Because where we put our money really matters.

Power of numbers

50% of all the money in the world is in pensions [4] and the largest banks in the world are responsible for 50x more funding of fossil fuel expansion projects than the oil & gas companies themselves. [5]

Simply put, it’s the choice between a grim future and one where we can thrive.

That’s why our goal is to move £1bn into the green economy by 2025.

To make sure we fund the future we want.

We work with both consumers and businesses to make that happen.

Find out more at MyMotherTree.com

[1] Based on having £6,757 in a current account with Barclays and a pension of £42,651 held invested in the UK
Equity Fund over 25 years. Note, in 2020, the average person in the United Kingdom (UK) had £6,757 saved (source: https://www.finder.com/uk/saving-statistics. Analysis conducted by finder.com/uk). Note, The UK’s average pension pot stands at just £42,651 (source: https://www.finder.com/uk/pension-statistics. Analysis conducted by finder.com).

[2] Based on analysis by Accenture: The average UK household’s spending generated 204 kg of CO2 emissions
each week. This equates to 10,617 kg per household per year, which collectively amounts to an estimated 295 million tonnes of CO2 in 2020. Note, this does not include any investment, bank account or pension.

[3] Based on 5-year performance of selected default pension funds (including but not limited to Scottish Widows & Lloyds compared against selected green funds, including but not limited to Vanguard ESG Developed World & Pictet
Clean Energy funds).

[4] ShareAction, https://shareaction.org/savers-resource-hub/pension-power-what-world-is-our-money-building

[5] McKibben, B. (2019, September 17). Money Is the Oxygen on Which the Fire of Global Warming Burns. Retrieved from https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/money-is-the-oxygen-on-which-the-fire-of-global-warming-burns