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Sustainable Funds Reporting Spotlight-August 2018

Fund Name:  Putnam Sustainable Future Fund (Formerly Putnam Multi-Cap Value Fund) Investment Management Firm: Putnam Investment Management Annual Report: May 1, 2017 – April 30, 2018, filed June 29, 2018 Sustainable Research and Analysis Observations: Effective March 21, 2018, the Putnam Multi-Cap Value Fund changed its name to the Putnam Sustainable Future Fund. While the […]

Sustainable Funds Reporting Round Up-March 2018

Trillium Mutual Funds: Portfolio 21 Global Equity Fund and Trillium Small/Mid Cap Fund Trillium Asset Management, LLC 12/31/2017 Semi-annual Report as of 3/12/2018  Observations: Portfolio 21 Global Equity, except for slightly lagging the MSCI ACWI Index over the 5-year interval to 12/31/2017, has exceeded the performance of its designated benchmark during the 1-year, 3-year, 10-year and […]

Sustainable Funds Reporting Round Up-February 2018

Parnassus Funds Parnassus Asset Management 12/31/2017 Annual Report filed as of 2/9/2018 Observations: The annual report covers six funds and their corresponding share classes, 12 in total, including the Parnassus Fund, Parnassus Core Equity Fund, Parnassus Endeavor Fund, Parnassus Mid Cap Fund, Parnassus Asia Fund and Parnassus Fixed Income Fund. None of the funds and […]

Sustainable Funds Reporting Round Up: Alger Green Fund and More -January 2018

Alger Responsible Sutainable Investing Fund Fred Alger Management Inc. 9/30/2017 Annual Report filed as of 12/7/2017  Observations: The fund across its four share classes trailed behind the Russell 1000 Growth non-ESG benchmark during the latest 1, 3, 5-year, 10-year and since inception intervals. The index is newly adopted to reflect that fund’s strategy adopted as […]

Sustainable Funds Reporting Round Up-December 2017

Boston Common International Fund Boston Common Equity Fund 9/30/2017 Annual Report filed as of 12/7/2017 Observations: The two funds managed by Boston Common Asset Management trailed behind their respective non-ESG benchmarks during the latest 1, 3, 5-year and since inception intervals. The annual reports detail the fund management company’s commitment to focus on environmental, social […]

Sustainable Funds Reporting Round Up-November 2017

Neuberger Berman Socially Responsive Fund 11/1 Semi-Annual Report as of 9/30/2017 Observations This large cap growth fund continues to lag the fund’s prospectus benchmark, the S&P 500 Index, over the 1-year, 5-year, 10-year and since inception intervals, across all share classes. The report does not make any industry or company specific references to the impacts […]

Research

Research and analysis to keep sustainable investors up to-date on a broad range of topics that include trends and developments in sustainable investing and sustainable finance, regulatory updates, performance results and considerations, investing through index funds and actively managed portfolios, asset allocation updates, expenses, ESG ratings and data, company and product news, green, social and sustainable bonds, green bond funds as well as reporting and disclosure practices, to name just a few.

A continuously updated Funds Directory is also available to investors.  This is intended to become a comprehensive listing of sustainable mutual funds, ETFs and other investment products along with a description of their sustainable investing approaches as set out in fund prospectuses and related regulatory filings.

Getting started

Many questions have surfaced in recent years regarding sustainable and ESG investing.  Here, investors and financial intermediaries will find materials that describe the various approaches to sustainable investing and their implementation.  While sustainable investing approaches vary and they have thus far defied universally accepted definitions, many practitioners agree that they fall into the following broad categories:  Values-based investing, investing via exclusions, impact investing, thematic investments and ESG integration.  In conjunction with each of these approaches, investors may also adopt various issuer engagement procedures and proxy voting practices.  That said, sustainable investing approaches will continue to evolve.

In addition to periodic updates regarding sustainable investing and how this form of investing is evolving, investors and financial intermediaries interested in implementing a sustainable investing approach will also find source materials that cover basic investing themes as well as asset allocation tactics.

Inesting ideas

Thoughts and ideas targeting sustainable investing strategies executed through various registered and non-registered sustainable investment funds and products such as mutual funds, Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), Exchange Traded Notes (ETNs), closed-end funds, Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and Unit Investment Trusts (UITs). Coverage extends to investment management firms as well as fund groups. 

Independent source for sustainable investment management company research, analysis, opinions and sustainable fund disclosure assessments