Glasgow Opens Investment Opportunity for Climate Action Projects

Glasgow's citizens, communities and businesses are being offered the chance to invest in the city's action on climate change.

The first run of the investment opportunity will begin in September 2025 and is expected to generate £1m in funding in support of the installation of solar panels on council buildings across the city. A second phase, due to begin early next year, aims to raise £1m for environmental improvements to the streetscape around schools and care facilities.

Investors can pledge as little as £5 to the scheme that will provide 4% interest a year for a five-year period. There is no upper limit on the size of investment anyone can make.

Known as a 'community municipal investment' (CMI), the scheme is managed on behalf of the council by ethical investment platform, Abundance Investment. This approach to raising funding for green initiatives has proven successful in other parts of the UK with 15 local authorities raising over £18m for a range of projects that help to reduce carbon emissions.

Councillor Angus Millar, City Convener for Climate, believes crowdfunding projects that move the city closure to net zero carbon emissions can help build pride in Glasgow's effort to tackle the climate emergency.

Councillor Millar said:

Community Municipal Investment projects are a great way to build a direct link between investment and community benefit, with successful projects using this platform elsewhere in the UK. Glasgow's scheme will offer a low-risk, fixed return investment opportunity for people, organisations and businesses in the city that will help take us closer to achieving our net zero target.

Using the finance from the investment scheme to support our solar panel programme underlines the potential of this approach to funding the city's project.

We've installed over 1700 solar panels on council buildings in the past year, which dramatically reduces the cost of running community facilities across the city. Plans are in place to add solar to a further 36 council buildings that will eventually provide the city with years and years of cost-free electricity.

Supporting Glasgow's CMI will contribute to our effort to cut carbon emissions, help save the city hundreds of thousands of pounds and provide a return for investors. It's a very effective way for people to be engaged and invested in Glasgow's plans to become a net zero city.

The first phase will be open until 1 December. The second offer for the scheme is due to open in March 2026 and is expected to provide financial backing for active travel projects and work to develop the council's Liveable Neighbourhoods programme.

More information on the scheme is available in a paper presented to the council's Net Zero and Climate Progress Monitoring City Policy Committee.

Information on how to invest in Glasgow's Community Municipal Investment programme is available here.

Last year the council completed a programme to install over 1700 solar panels on eight council-owned properties, including Kelvin Hall. The solar panels are expected to generate 700,000 Kwh of electricity every year, saving around £183,000 in energy costs annually. The £1m spent on installing these solar panels is expected to be paid off within 6-7 years.

Abundance Investment advises that: Investments are long term and may be hard to sell. Council investments are not a savings account and you are lending money to a council. Changes in market interest rates may affect the value of your investment if you sell before maturity. Approver: Abundance investment (FRN 525432). Approval date: [23/09/2025]

Abundance's service in relation to council investments (P2P loans) is not covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). Tax treatment depends on your individual circumstances and may be subject to change in the future. Holding investments in an IFISA does not reduce the risk of the investment or protect you from losses. You can still lose all your money. It only means that any potential gains from your investment will be tax free. The tax treatment of your investment will depend on your individual circumstances and may change in the future.

Glasgow Green Investment, which is a loan, is Green Loan Principles compliant and is being issued under a Green Finance Framework. This is a voluntary standard which sets out how the council will meet the Green Loan Principles. This assures investors that funds raised can only be used to help them deliver on eligible green projects from within this framework, and Abundance will monitor the use of funds across the investment term to ensure the principles are being adhered to.