OpenInvest Launches New Animal Welfare ESG Cause to Bring Awareness to the Companies that Support the Humane Treatment of Animals

OpenInvest, a leader in values-based investing, today launched a new Support Animal Welfare Cause, the first investment vehicle that addresses the welfare of domesticated and captive animals. The Cause gives investors insight into the top companies that consider the humane and sustainable treatment of animals, as well as those that do not make animal welfare a priority in their operations.

Invested Companies

• Airbnb

• BeyondMeat

• Chewy

• ElseNutrition

• Kellogg’s Co.

• Lemonade Inc.

• Marks & Spencer

• PetIQ

• Tattooed Chef

• Tripadvisor

Some companies with exposure to meat are included in this list for their actions on animal welfare issues in various ways. Marks & Spencer, for one, scored positively as it is placed on the Leadership Tier of the Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare (BBFAW), is a proactive developer of plant-based proteins and has no exposure to animal testing. Another company driving positive change in animal welfare is Airbnb - in addition to scoring highest on World Animal Protection’s Tracking the Travel Industry Report, it created and enforces a robust animal welfare policy, which ensures the safety of both wild and domesticated animals hosted on its platform. 

Divested Companies 

• Amazon and Whole Foods Market

• Costco

• Estee Lauder

• Expedia

• Hershey Co. 

• Johnson & Johnson

• Papa John’s Pizza

• Prada

• Procter & Gamble

• Target

Amazon / Whole Foods Market falls on Tier 5 of the BBFAW, reserved for companies with ‘limited evidence of implementation’ of animal welfare policies. It similarly ranks on the lowest ‘Reactive’ tier of the Farm Animal Investment Risk & Return Initiative (FAIRR’s) Collaborative Engagement on Sustainable Protein 2020 index, also joined by Costco. These scores indicate that in both the areas of animal welfare policy and alternative protein diversification, Amazon has room to improve. 

“The impact that the humane and sustainable treatment of animals can have on our environment, economy, and society cannot be overstated,” said Josh Levin, Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of OpenInvest. “The OpenInvest Animal Welfare Cause invests in companies that are actively prioritizing animal welfare, both through their businesses and external advocacy. We encourage companies, regardless of industry, to engage more ethically and holistically in their business activities and their supply chains.”

Approximately 25 million farmed animals are slaughtered in the US every day. Many more are subject to consumer and medical product testing and suffer as part of the global food supply chain. Animal testing is often not legally required, and 96% of drugs that pass preclinical tests, including “pivotal” animal tests, fail to ever make it to market.

Methodology

OpenInvest invests in companies identified as leaders in farm animal welfare and responsible animal-related tourism policies, those developing plant-based protein alternatives, and companies with humane and animal welfare-certified products. It also includes a positive tilt for companies that support or partner with animal welfare organizations to advance animal protection, even if it is outside the scope of their normal business activities. OpenInvest divests from most companies involved in meat, fish, poultry, leather and fur production and retail, as well as companies involved in animal testing and companies with inadequate animal-related tourism policies.

For the Cause, OpenInvest primarily consulted with World Animal Protection, a leading non-profit animal welfare organization, as well as the Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare (BBFAW), a global measure of animal welfare management supported by Compassion in World Farming and FOUR PAWS International. Additional data sources include the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), Farm Animal Investment Risk & Return Initiative (FAIRR), Refinitiv Eikon, and Cruelty-Free Kitty. 

”Today’s financial institutions are increasingly under scrutiny from governments, consumers, and their own investors to better consider ESG risks and the impacts of their investments,” said Ben Williamson, Programs Director at World Animal Protection, US. “We support OpenInvest in its efforts to raise awareness of these risks and champion animal welfare, and a switch to humane and sustainable proteins to protect people, animals, and the planet.”

For more information on the OpenInvest Animal Welfare Cause and to see how OpenInvest can help your clients align their portfolios with their values, visit here. 

*References to any particular entity should not be considered as a recommendation by OpenInvest.

About OpenInvest

OpenInvest is a values-based financial services company that helps advisors engage their clients and grow their business. We offer environmental, social, governance (ESG) investment management products and impact reporting services. Our investment management solutions use proprietary technology to seamlessly create low-cost investment portfolios tailored to our clients’ values while tracking market indices. Our sophisticated impact reports reflect the tangible impact our clients’ portfolios have on the world. Funded by YC and Andreessen Horowitz, OpenInvest is one of the only VC-backed Public Benefit Corporations. Learn more at openinvest.com.

Contact Information

Melissa Rossiter

Account Manager

VSC for OpenInvest

openinvest@vsc.co