Investors putting money into ethical investment funds might see better returns on their investments than those investing in standard tracker investment funds and FTSE 100 investment funds , a new survey reveals.

Over the last decade, ethical investment funds have shown growth of nearly 75 per cent on initial capital investments, independent financial services website Moneyfacts reported.

In comparison, index-tracker investment funds showed 62 per cent growth on investments, and FTSE 100-based investment funds had average returns of 54 per cent.

According to the website's editor of investment, life and pensions , supporters of ethical investment funds agree there is a great opportunity for these investment funds to outperform index-tracker investment funds.

This is because there is a much greater emphasis on active management in seeking out stocks which meet the criteria of the fund from both a financial and ethical perspective Richard Eagling explained.

These results should give investors confidence that it is possible to profit without sacrificing your principles.

However, non-ethical investment funds continue outperforming ethical investment funds. Non-ethical investment funds recorded growth of 9.38 per cent, compared to the growth by ethical investment funds of 8.87 over the last year.