Ethical Investing vs Greenwashing: Are ESG investments legit?

ESG investments aim to align capital with values, but many funds labeled ethical or sustainable may still support harmful practices.

Understanding how ESG works and when it can mask poor behavior is essential for investors seeking truly responsible portfolios.

This article covers:

• What is greenwashing in investments?
• What is ESG in investing?
• Is ethical investing worth it?
• Why is ESG so controversial?

Key Takeaways:

• ESG investments flag risks but don’t ensure ethical impact.
• Greenwashing happens when funds look sustainable without real change.
• Offshore ESG products may mislead due to rating and disclosure gaps.
• Investors need due diligence on holdings, domicile, and ESG practices.

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The information in this article is for general guidance only. It does not constitute financial, legal, or tax advice, and is not a recommendation or solicitation to invest. Some facts may have changed since the time of writing.

What is greenwashing and is it ethical?

Greenwashing is the practice of misleading investors or consumers by exaggerating or falsely claiming environmental or ethical responsibility.

It is widely considered unethical because it distorts decision-making, misallocates capital, and undermines trust in sustainability initiatives.

Greenwashing occurs when companies market themselves as environmentally friendly or socially responsible without making substantive operational changes.

From an investor perspective, greenwashing creates information asymmetry and increases the risk of investing in assets that do not align with stated ethical objectives.

For offshore investors, this represents a disclosure and suitability risk, not just an ethical issue. It is particularly problematic in international investment markets where regulatory oversight varies by jurisdiction.

Products marketed as sustainable or ethical may be domiciled offshore, distributed through international advisors, and governed by disclosure standards that differ significantly from the investor’s home country.

This makes misleading claims harder to detect and more difficult to challenge legally.

What are the three types of greenwashing?

Greenwashing in offshore products typically appears in branding, reporting, and fund construction.

1. Brand-led greenwashing
   Offshore funds or insurance-linked investments emphasize sustainability themes in marketing materials while offering limited transparency on portfolio holdings or screening criteria.
2. Reporting-based greenwashing
   ESG disclosures focus on policies rather than measurable outcomes, which is common in jurisdictions with lighter reporting obligations.
3. Structural greenwashing
   Products claim ESG alignment while using complex wrappers—such as offshore bonds or insurance policies—that obscure fees, underlying assets, and true ESG exposure.

What is ESG and why is it important?

ESG stands for Environmental, Social, and Governance factors used to assess non-financial risks and practices of companies.

ESG analysis helps investors evaluate:

• Environmental risks such as climate exposure or resource use
• Social factors including labor practices, supply chains, and community impact
• Governance issues such as board independence, executive compensation, and shareholder rights

Importance of ESG for investors

For expat and offshore investors, ESG is primarily a risk-filtering framework, not an ethical guarantee.

It is most relevant as a defensive tool against long-term regulatory, legal, and reputational risks.

ESG considerations can help expats:

• Avoid companies exposed to abrupt regulatory changes
• Reduce the risk of sanctions, litigation, or reputational damage
• Align portfolios with evolving global compliance norms

However, ESG does not eliminate political risk, currency risk, or jurisdictional risk inherent in offshore investing.

Is ESG investing effective?

ESG investing is only partially effective and does not consistently deliver the ethical or environmental outcomes many investors expect.

While ESG frameworks can improve risk identification and corporate disclosure, they have not reliably driven meaningful changes in environmental performance or social responsibility across markets.

In practice, ESG investments often influence how companies report their activities rather than how they fundamentally operate.

As a result, it may reduce certain governance risks but falls short as a tool for enforcing ethical behavior or preventing environmental harm at scale.

Why is ESG criticized?

ESG is criticized for inconsistency, lack of standardization, and susceptibility to greenwashing.

Key criticisms include:

• Conflicting ESG scores across rating agencies
• Weak correlation between ESG ratings and real-world impact
• Overreliance on disclosure rather than outcomes
• Potential dilution of fiduciary focus when ethics are poorly defined

Critics argue that ESG can create a false sense of responsibility while allowing harmful practices to persist.

What is greenwashing in ESG?

In offshore markets, ESG greenwashing often arises from inconsistent scoring standards and international regulatory gaps, and from the way ESG is embedded into offshore investment structures.

This can happen when:

• ESG ratings rely heavily on self-reported data
• Funds exclude a small number of controversial companies while maintaining broad exposure to harmful industries

Greenwashing in ESG becomes more pronounced offshore because ESG ratings, disclosures, and enforcement are not globally harmonized.

A fund may qualify as ESG-compliant in one jurisdiction while failing equivalent standards elsewhere.

This creates opportunities for regulatory arbitrage, where products are structured or domiciled in regions with looser oversight but marketed to international investors as sustainable or responsible.

Can investors curb greenwashing?

Yes, but only through active due diligence and skepticism toward ESG labels.

Expat and offshore investors can reduce exposure to greenwashing by:

• Verifying the fund domicile and regulatory regime
• Reviewing underlying holdings, not just fund labels
• Understanding how ESG criteria are applied within offshore insurance or platform structures
• Avoiding products where ESG justification is secondary to tax or distribution advantages

Passive reliance on ESG branding significantly increases the risk of investing in greenwashed products.

Conclusion

ESG and ethical investing can help guide capital toward responsible practices, but they are not foolproof guarantees.

Greenwashing remains a persistent risk, particularly in offshore markets where disclosure and enforcement vary.

Investors must approach ESG-labeled products with careful scrutiny, verifying holdings, understanding rating methodologies, and considering regulatory and jurisdictional nuances.

Ultimately, responsible investing requires active due diligence, critical evaluation, and realistic expectations about the impact of ESG frameworks.

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