These Five Small-Cap Impact Stocks Are Punching Above Their Weight In Addressing Social and Economic Challenges

nasdaq.com - September 05, 2023 - News

Over the last decade ESG (environmental, social and governance) stocks have quickly been gaining in popularity. In fact, a study conducted by asset manager Capital Group in 2022 found that 89% of investors now consider ESG factors in some way when choosing investments. More recently, investors have begun to tweak their investment strategy by shifting from ESG to impact stocks. Last year, a survey conducted by Fidelity Charitable found that more than 60% of Millennials utilized impact investing approaches to pick stocks. It also found that 40% of all investors planned to make their first impact investment in the coming year. However, contrary to what many investors think, ESG and impact investing are not interchangeable terms.

Vision Marine Technologies Vision Marine (VMAR) is tapping into a corner of the electric-vehicle market that doesn’t get much attention: our waterways. The company enjoys a first-mover advantage with its electric boat motors, aiming to protect our water habitats while improving air quality. In fact, Vision Marine’s E-Motion outboard motor, announced in December at the Paris Boat Show, is currently the only turnkey solution for boat manufacturers. According to the company, 8 million speedboats in the U.S. released 15 times more pollutants annually in the early 2000s than the catastrophic oil spill from the Exxon Valdez oil tanker in 1989. As a result, some areas are already starting to restrict or move toward a total ban on traditional gasoline and diesel power boats that run on internal combustion engines. Additionally, some boat owners are simply choosing to go electric. In fact, one estimate suggests the global electric-boat market could be worth $16.6 billion by 2031.