Peter Krull: The Sustainable Investor

Why It Matters

Sustainable, bottom‑up investing aligns with shifting investor demographics and demonstrates that excluding fossil fuels can enhance returns, reshaping portfolio construction for the coming wealth transfer.

Key Takeaways

• Sustainable investing is bottom‑up, solutions‑focused, unlike top‑down ESG.
• Millennials, Gen Z, and women drive rising demand for sustainable portfolios.
• SRRI 3.0 emphasizes sustainable, resilient, and innovation investing approach.
• Excluding fossil fuels historically outperformed the broader S&P 500.
• Green Sage portfolio avoids fossil‑fuel sector while covering all other S&P 500 industries

Summary

Peter Krull frames sustainable investing as a bottom‑up, solutions‑based approach that contrasts with the top‑down risk‑management focus of traditional ESG. He argues that advisors must master both frameworks to meet client expectations, and he introduces the SRRI 3.0 model—sustainable, resilient, and innovation investing—as the next evolution beyond earlier ESG and exclusionary screens.

The talk highlights powerful demographic trends: 99% of Gen Z and 97% of millennials express interest in sustainable assets, with women twice as likely as men to adopt them. Investors are motivated not by altruism alone but by competitive returns and diversification benefits, especially in clean‑energy solutions, which 83% see as profit‑generating. A looming wealth transfer from boomers to younger generations will amplify this demand.

Krull cites concrete examples: his Green Sage portfolio excludes the fossil‑fuel sector while retaining every other S&P 500 industry, and he references Jeremy Grantham’s study showing that removing fossil fuels from the index historically outperformed the full market. He also notes the rapid emergence of battery, water‑efficiency, and green‑building technologies, underscoring the shift from negative screening to proactive, innovation‑driven selection.

The implications are clear for financial advisers and asset managers: embracing SRRI 3.0 and a bottom‑up, solutions‑oriented lens can capture growth in the emerging low‑carbon economy while delivering diversification and risk‑adjusted returns. Fossil‑fuel exclusion is no longer a diversification liability, and the next wave of capital will flow toward sectors that align with sustainability, resilience, and technological innovation.

Original Description

Topic: The Sustainable Investor: Responsible, Impactful, and Values-Driven Investing Strategies and Practices for Financial Professionals (Wiley, November 4, 2025)

About the speaker:

Peter Krull, CSRIC, is Partner and Director of Sustainable Investing at Earth Equity Advisors. The 2024 Investment News ESG/Responsible Investing Advisor of the Year and 2025 InvestmentNews top 50 5-Star Independent Advisor, he's a leading voice in fossil-fuel-free, sustainable investing. Host of Dollars & Change podcast, Peter has practiced sustainable investing for over 20 years. He's won multiple industry awards, speaks regularly at conferences, and contributes to major financial publications including The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. Peter lives in Asheville, NC, with his wife and cat in their solar-powered home.

About the moderator:

Rod Lohin helps current and future business leaders create and capture value through distinctive sustainability strategies and programs. His 30-year career includes leading the Rotman Sustainability Initiative, where he oversees academic and applied research on sustainability strategy and sustainable finance, with a focus on impact investing. He has also acted as lead consultant with top local and global brands like RBC, SunLife and Blackberry on their sustainability strategies. Previously a management consultant, he built a multi-million dollar practice in CSR strategy at pioneering consulting firm Manifest, with clients like Ericsson, Kellogg’s, and the Heart & Stroke Foundation.

Part of: RBC x Rotman Sustainability Week

Co-presented by: Rotman Sustainability Initiative

Recorded on: March 2, 2026

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