The Research Process
The foundation of Portfolio 21's long-term financial management approach is our environmental sustainability screening, evaluation, and selection process.
Our investment criteria identify companies that are serious about sustainability and their long-term business prospects.
The research process begins with a review of publicly traded companies worldwide, most of which are included in various well-known U.S. and international indices such as the S&P 500 and the MSCI World Equity indices. Through a series of evaluation steps, we narrow our selection to those companies that we believe may meet our strict sustainable investment criteria.
The selection process employs a bottom up approach, concentrating on the specific characteristics of each company and then qualifying the companies using financial and environmental criteria appropriate to their industry groups. Due to the unique and specific nature of our sustainability research, we have an in-house research team that utilizes data sources ranging from direct company interviews to reports by independent non-profit organizations.
In our final analysis, the single most significant factor is whether companies have incorporated sustainability as an essential business strategy.