Green gold

ABSTRACT Gold is a precious metal and an important asset class. However, mining for gold can lead to severe environmental issues. Against this backdrop, this study proposes an alternative to mitigate the negative externalities of gold mining. Instead of digging out gold for investment purposes we propose to leave it in the ground and let nature act as a natural vault and custodian legally protected by gold firms and the government. Empirically, we analyse whether portfolios of gold exploration companies with access to such ‘green’ gold also provide exposure to the world price of gold. The results demonstrate that gold mining is not necessary to give investors access to gold.