What it is
Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) investing—an approach to wealth management that integrates your core values and your financial goals, helping ensure that the investments you’re choosing align with your value system and that your funds are being used to impact society for the greater good.
Cruelty-free investing (also sometimes called vegan investing or animal welfare investing) is a subcategory within ESG that allows you to further customize your investments to specifically protect or benefit animals—by seeing that plant-based eating preferences, aversion to factory farming and vivisection, and the humane treatment for all living beings is reflected in your investment choices.
Cruelty-free investing catalysts*
Animal factory farming is exposed to at least 28 environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues that could significantly damage financial value over the short or long-term. Many of these risks are currently hidden from investors.
All 28 issues can potentially affect the financial performance of companies across the food value chain, including large agri-business, food retailers and restaurants. For additional information, please refer to the Farm Animal Investment Risk and Return (FAIRR) Report Plant-Based Profits: Investment Risks and Opportunities in Sustainable Food Systems.
A knowledge gap exists within the investment community about managing these risks and opportunities. Even among those investors who are integrating ESG issues into their investment decision-making processes.
The window of opportunity for investors to act is finite and shrinking. The magnitude of risks generated by animal factory farming is set to increase through rising capital costs, the shifting gravity of production to developing countries with less robust regulation, the impacts of climate change and increasing social concerns over animal welfare and sustainability.
For additional information, please refer to the Farm Animal Investment Risk and Return (FAIRR) report: Factory Farming: Assessing Investment Risks.
A personalized approach
The first step in cruelty-free investing is to work together to draft an investment policy statement that defines your desired animal welfare impact and financial goals. We then use the policy to select investment strategies and securities that are appropriate for your specific needs. All areas of cruelty-free are considered to help ensure prudent customization within the security selection process. Once we have selected the right mix of investments, our team monitors your RBC portfolio on an on-going basis to make sure it stays aligned with your values and wealth management objectives.
Getting started
Whether your goals is maintain a conservative or an aggressive risk profile, it is possible to construct a well-diversified portfolio while adhering to the beliefs you hold most dear. We invite you to contact us today to learn more about cruelty-free investing and how we can help you reach your goals.
