How one man shook off his ‘old boy’ banking roots to become an ethical investor

Never quite comfortable in the ‘rotten’ culture of corporate finance, Ben Prior, founder and CEO of Earthworm, talks to Martin Friel about greenwashing by bigger firms and how to make companies more honest

A decade on, Earthworm has 19 firms in its books, including a vertical farm and a solar power operation (Earthworm)

What do you do if you’re a stockbroker that enjoys the money and the human interaction but can’t stand the dubious ethical approach to investment?

There are a few options. You can suck it up, sell your soul and hope that you don’t regret it on your deathbed. You can quit the market and try something completely different. Or, like Ben Prior, you could set up an investment fund that does good.

Prior is the founder and CEO of Earthworm, an environmental fund manager focused purely on the food, waste and energy sectors. It is one of a growing number of ethical investment funds that, collectively, hint at the possibility of genuine change in one of the least ethically discerning sectors.