This might be worth a look as well.
Saw them advertising on SBS while watching the Paris-Roubaix!
https://bankaust.com.au/personal/From their 'About us':
Being sharp on price, and making a profit is important to us all. But we believe money should also be put to good use, creating positive social, environmental and cultural outcomes. A kind of mutual prosperity for all.
Not being bound by the demands of investors means we act in the best long term interests of our customers. Put simply, as a customer and part owner of the bank, we’re answerable only to you. We respect your point of view, which is why our customers each have an equal say in how we go about our business.Presumably if they only lend to ethical projects, if you do business with them (via your own savings account or borrowings), then you're making the cost of capital marginally easier for other ethical projects/businesses etc.
I haven't looked into the detail but things you'd need to consider is:
- what are there ethical screens
- what premium am I paying them, compared to the BIG 4 or other finance alternatives.
Its a Mutual Society, which seem to have all but disappeared from mainstream banking in Australia, but functioning as a bank, but with a social justice bottom line.