Principles for Investment
Portfolio 21’s investment approach includes principles that establish a high bar and assure consistency in our decision-making process.
Ecological Limits
Companies shall demonstrate an understanding of the ecological limits that exist for their business and address their specific impact areas through a range of verifiable initiatives.
Environmental Stewardship
All companies are in a position to protect and preserve the environment and shall have appropriate policies to guide their behavior as well as a history of appropriate behavior.
Environmental Strategy
Companies shall have strategies for becoming more efficient in their interactions with the environment and show progress towards meaningful goals.
Human Rights and Equality
Companies shall assure that they are not directly, or indirectly through their supply chain, involved in egregious labor practices.
Societal Impacts
Companies shall demonstrate an understanding of the impact that their activities have on a given society or community and behave in a manner respectful of known customs or concerns.
Corporate Governance
All companies have the ability to be honorable corporate citizens and should be expected to do so. Essential to this achievement is a company’s corporate governance structure and policies.
There are certain industries and business activities that we believe are simply too environmentally risky or that present social outcomes too unattractive to warrant investment consideration. These areas are covered by our Negative Screens and include: the extractive industries of mining and oil and gas production; companies with a significant portion of their business in nuclear energy, agricultural biotechnology, the production of weapons or military contracting, tobacco, gambling, and animal testing.
