Influence

Influence in the form of deciding not to invest in a certain company or country through exclusion is perhaps the best-known method to let your money talk. If you don’t agree with a company’s product or behavior, then don’t fund them. However, exclusion has its limits; if others invest where you decided not to, your exclusion decision will have little impact. Furthermore, there are products and companies you perhaps would like to exclude, but that the current economy can simply not do without.

For these reasons, we focus most of our efforts on engaging with the companies we invest in where we can influence them to make changes for the better. We have a long track record in encouraging improvements in the sustainable characteristics of companies in this way. We can also use our influence by voting on issues at shareholder meetings – and voting against things we don’t like.

Our team of engagement specialists maintains an active dialogue with around 200 companies per year to influence corporate behavior. They also vote at around 7,000 shareholder meetings, often affecting policies within these companies.

The ability to influence companies and make the world a better place is what makes sustainable investing worthwhile. We can use our position as a shareholder or bondholder to exert pressure on companies (and governments) to act in a more sustainable way. We can also put money to work directly by investing in companies and themes that align with sustainable development while avoiding those that do harm. Each year, we add new themes to our engagement program. Here’s our latest themes.