The criteria below apply to the following funds:
- Ethical
- Ethical Cautious
- Ethical Lifestyle
- Ethical Managed (Flexible Target)
- Interim Retirement (Ethical Target)
- Kames Ethical Corporate Bond
- Kames Ethical Equity
- Kames Ethical Cautious Managed
- SE Ethical Managed
- SE Ethical Managed Lifestyle
- SE Kames Ethical Corporate Bond
These funds are designed to meet the needs of clients who wish to make investment decisions based on strong ethical principles.
All use highly selective investment criteria. Our ethical screening process evaluates the effects that certain companies’ activities, products and services can have on the environment and society at large.
Screening process
The funds do not invest in companies that:
Animal welfare
- provide animal testing services or manufacture or sell animal-tested cosmetics, household products or pharmaceuticals
- have any involvement in intensive farming
- operate abattoirs or slaughterhouse facilities
- are producers or retailers of meat, poultry, fish or dairy products or slaughterhouse by-products
Military
- manufacture armaments, nuclear weapons or associated strategic products
Nuclear power
- provide critical services to, or own or operate, nuclear facilities
Environment
- are involved in activities which are commonly held to be environmentally unsound – specifically manufacturers of PVC, ozone depleting chemicals and hazardous pesticides
- are in breach of internationally recognised conventions on biodiversity and companies in energy intensive industries which are not tackling the issue of climate change
Political donations
- have made political donations of more than £25,000 in the last year
Genetic engineering
- have patented genes
Gambling
- have investments in betting shops, casinos or amusement arcades accounting for more than 10% of their total business
Alcohol
- derive more than 10% of their total business through involvement in brewing, distillation or sale of alcoholic drinks
Tobacco
- derive more than 10% of their business from the growing, processing or sale of tobacco products
Pornography
- provide adult entertainment services
Banks
- are corporate or international banks with exposure to large corporate or Third World debt
Oppressive regimes
- operate in countries with poor human rights records, and which have no established management policies on human rights issues
Please be aware that all investments can go down as well as up and there’s a risk you may get back less than you invested.