Ethical Issues
Ethical Screening's independent research and analysis focuses on those non-financial aspects of corporate activity that concern investors from a moral point of view. Our collective experience in the ethical investment industry enables us to develop an approach that is relevant to investors with a wide variety of ethical concerns.Our research and analysis encompasses both positive and negative issues with screening criteria covering a broad range of social, human welfare, environmental and animal welfare concerns.
Positive Issues
The positive issues that Ethical Screening investigates cover products and services with environmental and social benefits and examples of business practices which demonstrate responsible behaviour towards the environment and human rights. Positive issues are used in combination with negative concerns to achieve a balanced approach to screening, particularly in the area of environment and human rights.
Positive issues covered by Ethical Screening include:
- Environmental management and reporting
- Environmentally beneficial products and services
- Human rights policies and labour standards
- Health and safety management
The negative issues that Ethical Screening looks at, and the ways in which we look at them, have developed through our involvement with investors and investment professionals over many years. This process evolves continuously to take account of emerging issues and feedback from clients.
The negative issues covered by Ethical Screening include:
- Alcohol manufacture, retailing and marketing
- Animal Welfare testing of products on animals; and exploitation of animals for food and non-food purposes
- Armaments weapons, strategic and non-strategic products and services; and sales to oppressive regimes
- Banks financing of environmentally and socially controversial projects
- Consumer Credit high interest consumer lending
- Environmental Impacts
- Gambling casinos and betting shops, gaming machine and lottery operations
- Genetic Modification animals and plants for medical research and food ingredients
- Human Rights Abuses
- Nuclear Industry power generation, military related and other industry services
- Pornography production, distribution and retail
- "Sanctity of Life" Issues abortifacient drugs and research involving embryonic stem cells
- Tobacco manufacture and retailing
Our research and analysis procedures are aimed at determining whether a company is involved in a particular activity and the magnitude and significance of that involvement. We do not endorse or promote a particular opinion on any ethical issue.
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