Guinness Global Quality Mid Cap Fund
SRI Style:
Sustainability Tilt
SDR Labelling:
Not eligible to use label
Product:
SICAV/Offshore
Fund Region:
Global
Fund Asset Type:
Equity
Launch Date:
15/12/2020
Last Amended:
May 2025
Dialshifter (
):
Fund Size:
£12.10m
(as at: 31/12/2024)
Total Screened Themed SRI Assets:
£420.80m
(as at: 31/12/2024)
Total Responsible Ownership Assets:
£8234.00m
(as at: 31/12/2024)
Total Assets Under Management:
£8380.00m
(as at: 31/12/2024)
ISIN:
IE00BN0W3305
Contact Us:
Objectives:
The investment objective of the Fund is to provide investors with long-term capital appreciation.
In seeking to achieve its investment objective the Fund intends to invest the majority of its net assets in mid-cap global equities that the Investment Manager deems to be consistently profitable and to meet sustainability criteria.
The Fund invests in businesses aligned with the transition to a more sustainable economy. In doing so, the Fund looks to promote long-term capital allocation alongside positive environmental and social characteristics including resource efficiency, and health and wellbeing. The Investment Manager assesses company revenue streams to assess the extent the business is enabling - or exposed to - the transition to a more sustainable economy. This is done by on-going assessments of broad structural trends in the economy relating to sustainability and using these to assess financial exposure.
The Fund promotes environmental and/or social characteristics within the meaning of Article 8 of SFDR. Further information on the environmental and/or social characteristics of the Fund is available at Annex I of the Fund’s Supplement.
Sustainable, Responsible
&/or ESG Overview:
The Guinness Global Quality Mid Cap Fund is designed to provide investors with exposure to quality growth companies benefiting from the transition to a more sustainable economy with good and improving ESG practices.
We believe companies whose products and services are enabling the transition to a more sustainable economy are likely to experience persistent top line growth as nations and consumers continue to change preferences. Further, businesses with strong and improving ESG practices are likely to reduce their operational risk, whilst better alignment of management remuneration incentivises long-term value creation.
Ultimately, we believe that sustainable companies are likely to be strategically placed for long-term growth with more forward-thinking management teams able to better capitalise on future opportunities.
We use exclusionary screens, sustainability themes and a combination of proprietary and third-party ESG research to help identify and assess these businesses, ultimately constructing a concentrated portfolio of 30 stocks from bottom-up stock analysis.
Primary fund last amended:
May 2025
Information directly from fund manager.
Fund Filters
Sustainability - General
Funds that have policies that consider (environmental and social) sustainability issues. Strategies vary but are likely to consider environmental issues like climate change, carbon emissions, biodiversity loss, resource management, environmental impacts; and social issues like equal opportunities, human rights, labour standards, diversity and adherence to internationally recognised codes. See fund information.
Find funds which substantially focus on sustainability issues
Find funds where there is a significant emphasis on (environmental and social) sustainability. Funds with a 'sustainability theme' typically place more emphasis on the area than funds with a 'sustainability policy' - meaning that it is more likely to drive investment selection. Strategies vary. See fund information for further detail.
A core element of these funds aim to encourage higher sustainability standards across business practices through responsible ownership / stewardship / engagement / voting activity
Find funds that use the UN Global Compact to inform or help direct where they can or cannot invest and will typically not invest in companies with significant breaches (low standards) - although strategies vary. (The UNGC covers a wide range of issues - search 'UNGC'). See https://unglobalcompact.org/
Environmental - General
Find funds that have a policy or theme that relates to managing natural resources more efficiently. Funds with this policy will be likely to favour companies that make (or enable the) more efficient use of resources - and either avoid or encourage change amongst companies with lower standards. Strategies vary. See fund information for further detail.
Funds that aim to invest in companies with strong or market leading environmental policies and practices. Strategies vary - in particular the balance between 'financial' aspects and environmental benefits. Some may invest substantially in solutions or 'positive impact' companies - others may invest in more conventional companies providing certain environmental criteria are met. See fund information for further detail.
Nature & Biodiversity
Find funds that have policies in place designed to ensure they do not invest in companies that are significantly involved in deforestation. This typically relates to palm oil plantations where biodiversity loss is a major concern (as well as other issues). Strategies vary. See fund information for further detail.
Climate Change & Energy
Funds that avoid investing in major coal, oil and/or gas (extraction) companies. Funds vary: some may exclude all companies that extract oil. Others may have exposure to oil extraction via more diversified energy companies. See fund literature to confirm details.
Funds that avoid companies involved in fracking and tar sands - which are widely regarded as controversial methods of oil and gas extraction. Strategies vary. See fund information for further information.
Funds that avoid investing in companies with coal, oil and gas reserves. See fund information for further details.
Fund funds that have an energy efficiency theme - typically meaning that a fund manager is focused on investing in organisations that manage - or help others to manage - energy use more carefully and less wastefully - and so reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Find funds that have policies which say they avoid or limit their investment in the nuclear industry. Strategies vary. See fund information for further detail.
The fund manager excludes companies with direct involvement in fossil fuel exploration (eg coal, oil and gas companies)
Social / Employment
Find funds with policies or themes that set out their approach to health and wellbeing issues. Funds of this kind typically aim to invest in companies with high standards - or encourage high standards. Themed funds are likely to have more of an emphasis on this area. Strategies vary. See fund information for further detail.
Ethical Values Led Exclusions
Companies are excluded if they are involved in any aspect of the production chain for tobacco products, including cigarettes, vaping, e-cigarettes, chewing tobacco and cigars.
Find funds that avoid companies that manufacture products intended specifically for military use. Fund strategies vary - particularly with regard to non-strategic military products. See fund literature for fund specific details.
Find funds with a written civilian firearms exclusion policy - meaning that they will not invest in companies that make (or perhaps also sell) handguns made for non-military users.
Find funds that avoid investment in companies involved in the production of alcohol. Strategies vary; some funds allow a small proportion of profits to come from this area. See fund literature for further information.
Find funds that avoid companies with significant involvement in the gambling industry. Some funds may allow a small proportion of profits to come from this area. See fund policy for further details.
Find funds that avoid companies that derive significant income from pornography and related areas. Strategies vary. See fund details for further information.
Meeting Peoples' Basic Needs
Healthcare and or medical theme or area of investment - the fund may have a single theme or many themes
Gilts & Sovereigns
Find funds that do not invest in, or exclude, gilts and/or government bonds.
Find funds that do not invest in / exclude 'sovereigns' - debt issued by governments. See eg https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/sovereign-debt.asp
Governance & Management
Find fund options that have policies that relate to corporate governance issues such as board structure, executive remuneration, bribery and/or corporate corruption. These funds will typically avoid companies with poor practices. Strategies vary. See fund literature for further information.
Find funds that aim to avoid investing in companies with poor governance practices.(e.g. board structure, management practices etc.) Views may however vary on what counts as 'poor' practices - and funds may not immediately divest as they may prefer to work to encourage higher standards. See fund literature for further information.
Fund managers encourage the companies they invest in to have more diverse board structures (e.g. more women on boards)
A core element of these funds will aim to encourage higher ESG standards through responsible ownership / stewardship / engagement /voting activity
Fund Governance
Find funds that factor in 'environmental, social and governance' issues as part of their investment decision making process. A focus on 'ESG' typically means a fund is carrying out additional research to help reduce ESG related risks. It does not necessarily mean a focus on sustainability. Strategies vary. See fund literature.
Asset Size
Find funds where more than half of the funds' assets are invested in smaller or medium sized companies (i.e. below around £5 -10 billion).
Find funds that have SRI strategies and focus their investment stock selection on small or mid cap companies. (e.g. below circa £10bn)
Targeted Positive Investments
Find funds that invest >25% of their capital towards companies where a major part of their business is focused on helping to address environmental or social challenges.
Find funds that invest >50% of their capital in companies where a major part of their business is focused on helping to address environmental or social challenges.
Impact Methodologies
Find funds that direct investment towards companies where a major part of their business is about solving environmental challenges. e.g. companies helping to address climate change.
Find funds that invest in companies where a major part of their business is specifically aimed at helping to address social challenges. e.g. companies helping to address poverty.
50% of fund assets are regarded by the fund manager as being significantly focused on providing solutions to environmental or social challenges. Strategies vary.
How The Fund Works
Find funds that focus on finding and investing in companies with positive / beneficial attributes. This strategy can be applied in addition to exclusion criteria and engagement/stewardship activity.
Find funds that make significant use of internationally agreed 'norms' (e.g. United Nations Global Compact - UNGC - or the UN Sustainable Development Goals - SDGs) as part of their investment selection process alongside additional SRI criteria such as positive or negative stock selection policies and/or stewardship strategies.
Find funds that have an ESG strategy (which is typically focused on avoiding companies that pose environmental, social or governance related risks) with additional criteria such as positive and/or negative screens, themes and stewardship strategies.
Find funds that consider both the 'positive' and 'negative' aspects of company behaviour and make balanced, considered decisions as part of their investment approach. May apply to a range of different issues and policy areas.
Find funds that have published explanations of their ethical, social and/or environmental policies online (i.e. fund decision making strategies/ buy/sell &/or asset management strategies).
This fund does not use stock lending for performance or risk purposes.
Unscreened Assets & Cash
All assets held in the fund - except cash - meet the sustainability criteria published in fund documentation.
Intended Clients & Product Options
Finds funds designed to meet the needs of individual investors with an interest in sustainability issues.
Find funds that are available via a tax efficient ISA product wrapper.
Labels & Accreditations
Finds funds classified under Article 8 of the EU’s SFDR (Sustainable Finance Disclosure Requirements). Article 8 of the SFDR is a set of requirements that apply to financial products that 'promote' environmental or social characteristics with high governance also. These rules do not currently apply to UK funds so many managers may leave this field blank.
Fund Management Company Information
About The Business
Find fund management companies that are smaller or specialise in particular areas - notably, ideally ESG related. Strategies vary.
Finds fund management companies that have a published company wide stewardship, engagement and / or responsible ownership policy or strategy that covers all investments. Stewardship typically involves encouraging higher ESG standards through voting and dialogue.
Find fund management companies that actively encourage higher 'environmental, social and governance' and/or 'sustainable and responsible investment' practices across investee companies - typically where the aim is to encourage positive change that is aligned with the best interests of investors. Strategies vary. See additional information and options.
Find fund managers that vote all* the shares they own at Annual General Meetings and Extraordinary General Meetings. A commitment to voting shares is a key indicator of 'responsible share ownership' demonstrating their support for or disagreement with management policy. (*situations can legitimately, occasionally occur where voting proves impossible, but in principle all shares should be voted.)
Find fund managers that consider responsible ownership and ESG to be a key differentiator for their business.
Find fund management companies that aim to align all their investments (across all funds) to help meet the aims of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Find funds run by fund managers that apply Responsible ownership or 'Stewardship' policies to all or most of their investment assets. This means active involvement (e.g. voting, dialogue) with the companies they invest in across funds (not normally limited to ethical or SRI options.) Read fund literature for further information.
Find fund management companies that consider environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues when deciding whether or not to invest in a company for all / almost all of their funds and other assets. This is increasingly seen as part of sound risk management.
Finds organisations / fund managers that have an in-house (company wide) diversity improvement programme - meaning that they are working to ensure that within their own businesses they employ people from diverse backgrounds - often typically focused on ethnicity and/or sex.
Find fund management companies that encourage the companies they invest in to have strong diversity, race, gender and other equality policies across all assets held, not simply screened or themed SRI/ESG funds. (ie Asset Management company wide).
Collaborations & Affiliations
Find fund management companies that have signed up to the UN backed 'Principles of Responsible Investment'.
Find fund management companies that are members of UKSIF - the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance association
Fund management entity is a member of the Investment Association https://www.theia.org/
Resources
Find fund management companies that employ people to steer and support fund managers in voting shares at company AGM's and EGMs in ways that are consistent with encouraging higher ESG/sustainability standards.
Find a fund management company that directly employs specialist ESG/SRI/sustainability researchers or analysts. This allows asset managers to discuss environmental, social and governance risks and opportunities directly with companies.
Find fund management companies that makes use of expert external research companies. This can help deliver specialist expertise and means resources are pooled with other investors.
Accreditations
Find fund managers that are signatories to the FRC UK Stewardship Code, which sets out a framework for constructive investor / investee relations where fund managers are encouraged to behave like responsible, typically longer term 'company owners'.
Engagement Approach
Find fund management companies that regularly initiate or run industry wide (collaborative) investor projects aimed at raising environmental, social and governance standards amongst investee companies.
Company Wide Exclusions
Find fund management companies (not funds) that avoid investment in 'controversial weapons' across all of their funds and other investment vehicles.
Find funds / fund managers that are reviewing, or have reviewed, their exposure to carbon intensive industries including (but not only) mining, oil and gas companies. (Typically with reference to climate change.)
Climate & Net Zero Transition
Find fund management companies that have published a Climate Risk policy or statement that is signed / owned by their Chief Executive.
Find fund management companies that are working with the companies they invest in to encourage reductions in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions.
Finds organisations / fund managers that have a company wide carbon transition plan - meaning that they have plotted a path to how they will move away from activities that produce or use carbon based energy sources (that emit greenhouse gases) towards clean, alternative, renewable energy sources.
Find fund management companies that are working to reduce their own (fund management company) carbon/greenhouse gas emissions.
Finds organisations / fund management companies that are in the process of working out how to make a ‘net zero commitment’ - meaning that when that is finalised they will have started the process of reducing their total greenhouse gas emissions to'zero'.
See https://sciencebasedtargets.org/
Transparency
Find fund management companies that publish a report detailing their responsible investment ownership - also known as 'Stewardship' - activity.
Find companies that publish information about their sustainable and responsible investment strategies on their company website.
Find fund management companies that will supply information about their sustainable and responsible investment activity on request.
Fund management companies that publish a full record of how they vote their shares at AGMs (annual general meetings) and EGMs (extraordinary general meetings). Voting strategies have an important role to play encouraging higher environmental, social and governance standards.
Comments
A number of Fund Filter results reflect the fact that this specialist product, by design. For current exclusions, please see the Fund’s Exclusion Policy. Other areas are not excluded in our prospectus but are outside the investment remit of the fund.
Sustainable, Responsible &/or ESG Policy:
Investment philosophy:
We believe that ESG analysis is embedded within a number of these activities. Specifically:
- Understanding long-term demand drivers leads us to sustainable themes. We believe companies with exposure can benefit in the long-term as consumers and nations change preferences, and these themes can help identify whether a business’ products and services can truly be deemed sustainable.
- Our intelligent screening and exclusions of a large group of relevant equities includes ESG scoring to identify and exclude businesses with inadequate ESG practices whilst helping prioritise potential investments for further due diligence.
- Understanding what we own involves a quantitative and qualitative sustainability assessment of investee companies with the intention of better understanding revenue exposures, demand drivers and ESG risks and opportunities. It is here we also aim to interact with investee companies around ESG concerns to help clarify certain practices and steer management into better ESG strategies.
.
Specifically, ESG is embedded into the investment process in the following 3 ways:
- Exclusionary – At the universe construction phase, we apply exclusionary filters to screen out companies whose products or services are harmful, and whose ESG practices are inadequate. Namely we exclude companies which derive material revenue from:
- Adult Entertainment
- Alcohol
- Coal
- Fossil fuels
- Gambling
- Nuclear energy
- Palm oil
- Tobacco
- Weapons
We also exclude those companies which have been scored as a laggard (B or CCC rating) by MSCI and those on the Norwegian Council of Ethics exclusion list. Such businesses tend to display inadequate or worsening management of ESG issues and are vulnerable to ESG related disruptions and controversies.
- Sustainability Assessment – Having prioritised potential investments from our universe for further due diligence, we employ a sustainability assessment of the company. Here, we look quantitatively and qualitatively at the company’s ESG risks and opportunities from both a product and practice perspective. We also use sustainability themes to guide our assessment on whether a company’s products/services are materially exposed to long-term sustainability demand drivers. Currently, we employ 3 sustainability themes (each with respective sub-themes), which are:
- Health & Wellbeing
- Productivity & Connectivity
- Resource Efficiency
- Stewardship - We aim to interact with the investee companies through management engagement meetings and through proxy voting. We believe these activities can help influence better ESG practices, improving data disclosure and strategies, whilst enabling us to further our knowledge of the company.
Ultimately, the fund is constructed using a bottom-up stock picking process of our 30 best ideas with no requirement to ‘fill’ certain sustainability buckets. As such, the fund does not aim for any specific positive environmental or social impacts but instead aims to give investors exposure to more general positive impacts from investing in companies enabling the transition to a more sustainable economy through their products and practices.
Process:
Universe Construction:
Although the fund is designed to invest in sustainable companies, our starting point in selecting our investment universe is to identify companies with persistently high and/or improving return on capital. We find that companies exhibiting quality characteristics, positively correlate with better ESG scores. Hence, we find that by first screening for high quality businesses, we indirectly exclude many businesses that have been deemed to have below average or inadequate management of ESG issues.
However, this alone does not mean that we end up with a pool of companies automatically deemed sustainable. In order to further increase our chances of finding these companies, we apply exclusionary screens in order to filter out companies whose products or services are harmful, and whose ESG practices are sub-standard. Namely we exclude companies which derive material revenue from:
- Adult entertainment
- Alcohol
- Coal
- Fossil fuels
- Gambling
- Nuclear energy
- Palm oil
- Tobacco
- Weapons
We also exclude those companies which have been scored as a laggard (B or CCC rating) by MSCI and those on the Norwegian Council of Ethics exclusion list. Such businesses tend to display inadequate or worsening management of ESG issues and are vulnerable to ESG related disruptions and controversies.
.
Fundamental Analysis:
From our universe, we then seek to identify which companies are the most attractive long-term investment propositions. We apply screening and utilise scorecards based on quality, sustainability, growth, and valuation to prioritise candidates for extended due diligence.
We then subject all potential investments to a detailed sustainability assessment to initially identify whether a business’ products and services can truly be deemed sustainable – and to what extent.
The 3 broad sustainable themes currently employed are:
- Health & Wellbeing
- Productivity & Connectivity
- Resource Efficiency
The sustainability assessment consists of quantitative and qualitative analysis of investee companies with the intention of better understanding revenue exposures, demand drivers and ESG risks and opportunities.
The quantitative analysis screens companies for which data is available and scores them based on the quality of their ESG metrics, the extent of their ESG disclosure and the momentum of both. The ESG scoring system is tailored to suit different industry sectors (as described by the Global Reporting Initiative) and, in this way, each company is only evaluated relative to its peers and its industry sector on the most relevant metrics. The peer relative analysis allows us to rank companies versus relevant peers and therefore does not benefit or limit one industry sector versus another. The scoring considers three key dynamics:
- Disclosure; where higher levels of disclosure is scored higher than lower levels;
- Performance; where companies that have better ESG characteristics and ESG performance metrics than their peers score higher than companies with worse metrics;
- Improvement; where companies that are improving their ESG performance metrics (in either absolute or relative terms) are scored higher than non-improving or deteriorating companies.
Above all, the due diligence process enables us to understand what competitive advantages or barriers to entry are sustaining a company’s return on investment to determine whether the returns will persist. We also recognise that sentiment and hype can sometimes drive up the valuations of sustainable companies and so we try to maintain a strict value discipline. We want to avoid paying up for high levels of expected growth in the future, and therefore use a variety of valuation tools including looking at valuations vs sectors, peers and the company’s history, as well as looking at the quality and growth metrics baked into a company’s valuation relative to alternatives.
Resources, Affiliations & Corporate Strategies:
Guinness Global Investors provides actively managed portfolios of listed equities in equity income, growth, and sector specialist strategies to assist investors in achieving long-term returns. We invest with low turnover, giving us long holding periods.
The ultimate responsibility for our responsible investment approach is at Board level and lies with our chief executive officer. Our CEO chairs the Responsible Investment Committee, which includes all portfolio managers and has the objective of developing and monitoring ESG incorporation and stewardship activities.
Responsibility for day-to-day consideration of responsible investment, ESG incorporation and stewardship lies with the investment teams themselves. We do not have a separate ESG team that carries out individual company ESG analysis; instead, the weight of this analysis falls on the portfolio management teams who make the ultimate investment decisions. We believe that this is the best way to make investment decisions and is consistent with our investment philosophy that responsible investment and ESG factors are integral to the investment process.
Three dedicated responsible investment analysts provide support to all investment teams and prepares company-wide analysis and materials.
.
ESG Incorporation
We combine strategic sector selection with a fundamental screening process to identify companies to analyse and assess in detail. We believe companies that have achieved sustainable growth in cashflows and have managed their businesses well through economic cycles are likely to continue to do so.
Fundamental data and rigorous in-house research are the cornerstones of our investment process. This includes considering the impact of environmental, social and governance factors, which has evolved over time as more relevant data has become available. We believe that incorporation of ESG factors as part of our detailed company analysis enables us to enhance our investment process, rather than fundamentally alter it, and improves our ability to achieve our investment objectives.
.
Engagement
As active shareholders with long-term investment horizons, engagement is a key part of our investment management process. We engage with investee companies:
- To influence investee companies proactively on ESG issues;
- To encourage improved or increased ESG disclosure;
- To gain a greater understanding of their ESG strategy.
Each engagement activity is made individually, with an objective as described above. We engage directly and collaboratively and do not prioritise between the various approaches.
.
Voting
Proxy voting and the consideration of corporate governance issues are important elements of investment management. Voting is performed by the portfolio managers of the relevant strategy. In principle, our proxy voting policy is designed to support the investment managers in making decisions that maximize a company’s shareholder value.
We intend to exercise all voting rights where we retain voting authority. There may be exceptions in some circumstances; administrative arrangements may prevent votes being cast or it may not be in the best interests of clients to vote (due to restrictions on liquidity or ‘share blocking’).
.
Involvement with Stakeholders & Industry Initiatives
We understand that participation in relevant industry initiatives is essential to the development of best practice in responsible investment. We participate in several initiatives in order to promote proper functioning of markets, better our understanding in the area and contribute to the industry. These include:
- The Investment Association (IA)
- The UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association (UKSIF)
- The Independent Investment Management Initiative (IIMI)
- The Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD)
- Climate Action 100+
- CFA Sustainability Community Champions Group
- UN PRI
SDR Labelling:
Not eligible to use label
Literature
Voting Record
Disclaimer
A number of Fund Filter results reflect the fact that this specialist product, by design. For current exclusions, please see the Fund’s Exclusion Policy. Other areas are not excluded in our prospectus but are outside the investment remit of the fund.
Fund Name | SRI Style | SDR Labelling | Product | Region | Asset Type | Launch Date | Last Amended |
|
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Guinness Global Quality Mid Cap Fund |
Sustainability Tilt | Not eligible to use label | SICAV/Offshore | Global | Equity | 15/12/2020 | May 2025 | |
ObjectivesThe investment objective of the Fund is to provide investors with long-term capital appreciation. In seeking to achieve its investment objective the Fund intends to invest the majority of its net assets in mid-cap global equities that the Investment Manager deems to be consistently profitable and to meet sustainability criteria. The Fund invests in businesses aligned with the transition to a more sustainable economy. In doing so, the Fund looks to promote long-term capital allocation alongside positive environmental and social characteristics including resource efficiency, and health and wellbeing. The Investment Manager assesses company revenue streams to assess the extent the business is enabling - or exposed to - the transition to a more sustainable economy. This is done by on-going assessments of broad structural trends in the economy relating to sustainability and using these to assess financial exposure. The Fund promotes environmental and/or social characteristics within the meaning of Article 8 of SFDR. Further information on the environmental and/or social characteristics of the Fund is available at Annex I of the Fund’s Supplement. |
Fund Size: £12.10m (as at: 31/12/2024) Total Screened Themed SRI Assets: £420.80m (as at: 31/12/2024) Total Responsible Ownership Assets: £8234.00m (as at: 31/12/2024) Total Assets Under Management: £8380.00m (as at: 31/12/2024) ISIN: IE00BN0W3305 Contact Us: Alex.hall@guinnessgi.com |
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Sustainable, Responsible &/or ESG OverviewThe Guinness Global Quality Mid Cap Fund is designed to provide investors with exposure to quality growth companies benefiting from the transition to a more sustainable economy with good and improving ESG practices.
We believe companies whose products and services are enabling the transition to a more sustainable economy are likely to experience persistent top line growth as nations and consumers continue to change preferences. Further, businesses with strong and improving ESG practices are likely to reduce their operational risk, whilst better alignment of management remuneration incentivises long-term value creation.
Ultimately, we believe that sustainable companies are likely to be strategically placed for long-term growth with more forward-thinking management teams able to better capitalise on future opportunities.
We use exclusionary screens, sustainability themes and a combination of proprietary and third-party ESG research to help identify and assess these businesses, ultimately constructing a concentrated portfolio of 30 stocks from bottom-up stock analysis.
|
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Primary fund last amended: May 2025 |
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Information received directly from Fund Manager |
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Fund FiltersSustainability - General
Sustainability policy
Funds that have policies that consider (environmental and social) sustainability issues. Strategies vary but are likely to consider environmental issues like climate change, carbon emissions, biodiversity loss, resource management, environmental impacts; and social issues like equal opportunities, human rights, labour standards, diversity and adherence to internationally recognised codes. See fund information.
Sustainability focus
Find funds which substantially focus on sustainability issues
Sustainability theme or focus
Find funds where there is a significant emphasis on (environmental and social) sustainability. Funds with a 'sustainability theme' typically place more emphasis on the area than funds with a 'sustainability policy' - meaning that it is more likely to drive investment selection. Strategies vary. See fund information for further detail.
Encourage more sustainable practices through stewardship
A core element of these funds aim to encourage higher sustainability standards across business practices through responsible ownership / stewardship / engagement / voting activity
UN Global Compact linked exclusion policy
Find funds that use the UN Global Compact to inform or help direct where they can or cannot invest and will typically not invest in companies with significant breaches (low standards) - although strategies vary. (The UNGC covers a wide range of issues - search 'UNGC'). See https://unglobalcompact.org/ Environmental - General
Resource efficiency policy or theme
Find funds that have a policy or theme that relates to managing natural resources more efficiently. Funds with this policy will be likely to favour companies that make (or enable the) more efficient use of resources - and either avoid or encourage change amongst companies with lower standards. Strategies vary. See fund information for further detail.
Favours cleaner, greener companies
Funds that aim to invest in companies with strong or market leading environmental policies and practices. Strategies vary - in particular the balance between 'financial' aspects and environmental benefits. Some may invest substantially in solutions or 'positive impact' companies - others may invest in more conventional companies providing certain environmental criteria are met. See fund information for further detail. Nature & Biodiversity
Deforestation / palm oil policy
Find funds that have policies in place designed to ensure they do not invest in companies that are significantly involved in deforestation. This typically relates to palm oil plantations where biodiversity loss is a major concern (as well as other issues). Strategies vary. See fund information for further detail. Climate Change & Energy
Coal, oil & / or gas majors excluded
Funds that avoid investing in major coal, oil and/or gas (extraction) companies. Funds vary: some may exclude all companies that extract oil. Others may have exposure to oil extraction via more diversified energy companies. See fund literature to confirm details.
Fracking and tar sands excluded
Funds that avoid companies involved in fracking and tar sands - which are widely regarded as controversial methods of oil and gas extraction. Strategies vary. See fund information for further information.
Fossil fuel reserves exclusion
Funds that avoid investing in companies with coal, oil and gas reserves. See fund information for further details.
Energy efficiency theme
Fund funds that have an energy efficiency theme - typically meaning that a fund manager is focused on investing in organisations that manage - or help others to manage - energy use more carefully and less wastefully - and so reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Nuclear exclusion policy
Find funds that have policies which say they avoid or limit their investment in the nuclear industry. Strategies vary. See fund information for further detail.
Fossil fuel exploration exclusion - direct involvement
The fund manager excludes companies with direct involvement in fossil fuel exploration (eg coal, oil and gas companies) Social / Employment
Health & wellbeing policies or theme
Find funds with policies or themes that set out their approach to health and wellbeing issues. Funds of this kind typically aim to invest in companies with high standards - or encourage high standards. Themed funds are likely to have more of an emphasis on this area. Strategies vary. See fund information for further detail. Ethical Values Led Exclusions
Tobacco and related product manufacturers excluded
Companies are excluded if they are involved in any aspect of the production chain for tobacco products, including cigarettes, vaping, e-cigarettes, chewing tobacco and cigars.
Armaments manufacturers avoided
Find funds that avoid companies that manufacture products intended specifically for military use. Fund strategies vary - particularly with regard to non-strategic military products. See fund literature for fund specific details.
Civilian firearms production exclusion
Find funds with a written civilian firearms exclusion policy - meaning that they will not invest in companies that make (or perhaps also sell) handguns made for non-military users.
Alcohol production excluded
Find funds that avoid investment in companies involved in the production of alcohol. Strategies vary; some funds allow a small proportion of profits to come from this area. See fund literature for further information.
Gambling avoidance policy
Find funds that avoid companies with significant involvement in the gambling industry. Some funds may allow a small proportion of profits to come from this area. See fund policy for further details.
Pornography avoidance policy
Find funds that avoid companies that derive significant income from pornography and related areas. Strategies vary. See fund details for further information. Meeting Peoples' Basic Needs
Healthcare / medical theme
Healthcare and or medical theme or area of investment - the fund may have a single theme or many themes Gilts & Sovereigns
Gilts / government bonds - exclude all
Find funds that do not invest in, or exclude, gilts and/or government bonds.
Does not invest in sovereigns
Find funds that do not invest in / exclude 'sovereigns' - debt issued by governments. See eg https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/sovereign-debt.asp Governance & Management
Governance policy
Find fund options that have policies that relate to corporate governance issues such as board structure, executive remuneration, bribery and/or corporate corruption. These funds will typically avoid companies with poor practices. Strategies vary. See fund literature for further information.
Avoids companies with poor governance
Find funds that aim to avoid investing in companies with poor governance practices.(e.g. board structure, management practices etc.) Views may however vary on what counts as 'poor' practices - and funds may not immediately divest as they may prefer to work to encourage higher standards. See fund literature for further information.
Encourage board diversity e.g. gender
Fund managers encourage the companies they invest in to have more diverse board structures (e.g. more women on boards)
Encourage higher ESG standards through stewardship activity
A core element of these funds will aim to encourage higher ESG standards through responsible ownership / stewardship / engagement /voting activity Fund Governance
ESG integration strategy
Find funds that factor in 'environmental, social and governance' issues as part of their investment decision making process. A focus on 'ESG' typically means a fund is carrying out additional research to help reduce ESG related risks. It does not necessarily mean a focus on sustainability. Strategies vary. See fund literature. Asset Size
Over 50% small / mid cap companies
Find funds where more than half of the funds' assets are invested in smaller or medium sized companies (i.e. below around £5 -10 billion).
Invests mostly in small or mid cap companies / assets
Find funds that have SRI strategies and focus their investment stock selection on small or mid cap companies. (e.g. below circa £10bn) Targeted Positive Investments
Invests >25% of fund in environmental/social solutions companies
Find funds that invest >25% of their capital towards companies where a major part of their business is focused on helping to address environmental or social challenges.
Invests >50% of fund in environmental/social solutions companies
Find funds that invest >50% of their capital in companies where a major part of their business is focused on helping to address environmental or social challenges. Impact Methodologies
Invests in environmental solutions companies
Find funds that direct investment towards companies where a major part of their business is about solving environmental challenges. e.g. companies helping to address climate change.
Invests in social solutions companies
Find funds that invest in companies where a major part of their business is specifically aimed at helping to address social challenges. e.g. companies helping to address poverty.
Over 50% in assets providing environmental or social ‘solutions’
50% of fund assets are regarded by the fund manager as being significantly focused on providing solutions to environmental or social challenges. Strategies vary. How The Fund Works
Positive selection bias
Find funds that focus on finding and investing in companies with positive / beneficial attributes. This strategy can be applied in addition to exclusion criteria and engagement/stewardship activity.
Combines norms based exclusions with other SRI criteria
Find funds that make significant use of internationally agreed 'norms' (e.g. United Nations Global Compact - UNGC - or the UN Sustainable Development Goals - SDGs) as part of their investment selection process alongside additional SRI criteria such as positive or negative stock selection policies and/or stewardship strategies.
Combines ESG strategy with other SRI criteria
Find funds that have an ESG strategy (which is typically focused on avoiding companies that pose environmental, social or governance related risks) with additional criteria such as positive and/or negative screens, themes and stewardship strategies.
Balances company 'pros and cons' / best in sector
Find funds that consider both the 'positive' and 'negative' aspects of company behaviour and make balanced, considered decisions as part of their investment approach. May apply to a range of different issues and policy areas.
SRI / ESG / Ethical policies explained on website
Find funds that have published explanations of their ethical, social and/or environmental policies online (i.e. fund decision making strategies/ buy/sell &/or asset management strategies).
Do not use stock / securities lending
This fund does not use stock lending for performance or risk purposes. Unscreened Assets & Cash
All assets (except cash) meet published sustainability criteria
All assets held in the fund - except cash - meet the sustainability criteria published in fund documentation. Intended Clients & Product Options
Intended for investors interested in sustainability
Finds funds designed to meet the needs of individual investors with an interest in sustainability issues.
Available via an ISA (OEIC only)
Find funds that are available via a tax efficient ISA product wrapper. Labels & Accreditations
SFDR Article 8 fund / product (EU)
Finds funds classified under Article 8 of the EU’s SFDR (Sustainable Finance Disclosure Requirements). Article 8 of the SFDR is a set of requirements that apply to financial products that 'promote' environmental or social characteristics with high governance also. These rules do not currently apply to UK funds so many managers may leave this field blank. Fund Management Company InformationAbout The Business
Boutique / specialist fund management company
Find fund management companies that are smaller or specialise in particular areas - notably, ideally ESG related. Strategies vary.
Responsible ownership / stewardship policy or strategy (AFM company wide)
Finds fund management companies that have a published company wide stewardship, engagement and / or responsible ownership policy or strategy that covers all investments. Stewardship typically involves encouraging higher ESG standards through voting and dialogue.
ESG / SRI engagement (AFM company wide)
Find fund management companies that actively encourage higher 'environmental, social and governance' and/or 'sustainable and responsible investment' practices across investee companies - typically where the aim is to encourage positive change that is aligned with the best interests of investors. Strategies vary. See additional information and options.
Vote all* shares at AGMs / EGMs (AFM company wide)
Find fund managers that vote all* the shares they own at Annual General Meetings and Extraordinary General Meetings. A commitment to voting shares is a key indicator of 'responsible share ownership' demonstrating their support for or disagreement with management policy. (*situations can legitimately, occasionally occur where voting proves impossible, but in principle all shares should be voted.)
Responsible ownership / ESG a key differentiator (AFM company wide)
Find fund managers that consider responsible ownership and ESG to be a key differentiator for their business.
SDG aligned aims / objectives (AFM company wide)
Find fund management companies that aim to align all their investments (across all funds) to help meet the aims of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Responsible ownership policy for non SRI funds (AFM company wide)
Find funds run by fund managers that apply Responsible ownership or 'Stewardship' policies to all or most of their investment assets. This means active involvement (e.g. voting, dialogue) with the companies they invest in across funds (not normally limited to ethical or SRI options.) Read fund literature for further information.
Integrates ESG factors into all / most (AFM) fund research
Find fund management companies that consider environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues when deciding whether or not to invest in a company for all / almost all of their funds and other assets. This is increasingly seen as part of sound risk management.
In-house diversity improvement programme (AFM company wide)
Finds organisations / fund managers that have an in-house (company wide) diversity improvement programme - meaning that they are working to ensure that within their own businesses they employ people from diverse backgrounds - often typically focused on ethnicity and/or sex.
Diversity, equality & inclusion engagement policy (AFM company wide)
Find fund management companies that encourage the companies they invest in to have strong diversity, race, gender and other equality policies across all assets held, not simply screened or themed SRI/ESG funds. (ie Asset Management company wide). Collaborations & Affiliations
PRI signatory
Find fund management companies that have signed up to the UN backed 'Principles of Responsible Investment'.
UKSIF member
Find fund management companies that are members of UKSIF - the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance association
Investment Association (IA) member
Fund management entity is a member of the Investment Association https://www.theia.org/ Resources
In-house responsible ownership / voting expertise
Find fund management companies that employ people to steer and support fund managers in voting shares at company AGM's and EGMs in ways that are consistent with encouraging higher ESG/sustainability standards.
Employ specialist ESG / SRI / sustainability researchers
Find a fund management company that directly employs specialist ESG/SRI/sustainability researchers or analysts. This allows asset managers to discuss environmental, social and governance risks and opportunities directly with companies.
Use specialist ESG / SRI / sustainability research companies
Find fund management companies that makes use of expert external research companies. This can help deliver specialist expertise and means resources are pooled with other investors. Accreditations
UK Stewardship Code signatory (AFM company wide)
Find fund managers that are signatories to the FRC UK Stewardship Code, which sets out a framework for constructive investor / investee relations where fund managers are encouraged to behave like responsible, typically longer term 'company owners'. Engagement Approach
Regularly lead collaborative ESG initiatives (AFM company wide)
Find fund management companies that regularly initiate or run industry wide (collaborative) investor projects aimed at raising environmental, social and governance standards amongst investee companies. Company Wide Exclusions
Controversial weapons avoidance policy (AFM company wide)
Find fund management companies (not funds) that avoid investment in 'controversial weapons' across all of their funds and other investment vehicles.
Review(ing) carbon / fossil fuel exposure for all funds (AFM company wide)
Find funds / fund managers that are reviewing, or have reviewed, their exposure to carbon intensive industries including (but not only) mining, oil and gas companies. (Typically with reference to climate change.) Climate & Net Zero Transition
Publish 'CEO owned' Climate Risk policy (AFM company wide)
Find fund management companies that have published a Climate Risk policy or statement that is signed / owned by their Chief Executive.
Encourage carbon / greenhouse gas reduction (AFM company wide)
Find fund management companies that are working with the companies they invest in to encourage reductions in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions.
Carbon transition plan published (AFM company wide)
Finds organisations / fund managers that have a company wide carbon transition plan - meaning that they have plotted a path to how they will move away from activities that produce or use carbon based energy sources (that emit greenhouse gases) towards clean, alternative, renewable energy sources.
In-house carbon / GHG reduction policy (AFM company wide)
Find fund management companies that are working to reduce their own (fund management company) carbon/greenhouse gas emissions.
Working towards a ‘Net Zero’ commitment (AFM company wide)
Finds organisations / fund management companies that are in the process of working out how to make a ‘net zero commitment’ - meaning that when that is finalised they will have started the process of reducing their total greenhouse gas emissions to'zero'.
Committed to SBTi / Science Based Targets Initiative
See https://sciencebasedtargets.org/ Transparency
Publish responsible ownership / stewardship report (AFM company wide)
Find fund management companies that publish a report detailing their responsible investment ownership - also known as 'Stewardship' - activity.
Full SRI / responsible ownership policy information on company website
Find companies that publish information about their sustainable and responsible investment strategies on their company website.
Full SRI / responsible ownership policy information available on request
Find fund management companies that will supply information about their sustainable and responsible investment activity on request.
Publish full voting record (AFM company wide)
Fund management companies that publish a full record of how they vote their shares at AGMs (annual general meetings) and EGMs (extraordinary general meetings). Voting strategies have an important role to play encouraging higher environmental, social and governance standards. CommentsA number of Fund Filter results reflect the fact that this specialist product, by design. For current exclusions, please see the Fund’s Exclusion Policy. Other areas are not excluded in our prospectus but are outside the investment remit of the fund. Sustainable, Responsible &/or ESG Policy:Investment philosophy: We believe that ESG analysis is embedded within a number of these activities. Specifically:
. Specifically, ESG is embedded into the investment process in the following 3 ways:
We also exclude those companies which have been scored as a laggard (B or CCC rating) by MSCI and those on the Norwegian Council of Ethics exclusion list. Such businesses tend to display inadequate or worsening management of ESG issues and are vulnerable to ESG related disruptions and controversies.
Ultimately, the fund is constructed using a bottom-up stock picking process of our 30 best ideas with no requirement to ‘fill’ certain sustainability buckets. As such, the fund does not aim for any specific positive environmental or social impacts but instead aims to give investors exposure to more general positive impacts from investing in companies enabling the transition to a more sustainable economy through their products and practices. Process:Universe Construction: Although the fund is designed to invest in sustainable companies, our starting point in selecting our investment universe is to identify companies with persistently high and/or improving return on capital. We find that companies exhibiting quality characteristics, positively correlate with better ESG scores. Hence, we find that by first screening for high quality businesses, we indirectly exclude many businesses that have been deemed to have below average or inadequate management of ESG issues. However, this alone does not mean that we end up with a pool of companies automatically deemed sustainable. In order to further increase our chances of finding these companies, we apply exclusionary screens in order to filter out companies whose products or services are harmful, and whose ESG practices are sub-standard. Namely we exclude companies which derive material revenue from:
We also exclude those companies which have been scored as a laggard (B or CCC rating) by MSCI and those on the Norwegian Council of Ethics exclusion list. Such businesses tend to display inadequate or worsening management of ESG issues and are vulnerable to ESG related disruptions and controversies. . Fundamental Analysis: From our universe, we then seek to identify which companies are the most attractive long-term investment propositions. We apply screening and utilise scorecards based on quality, sustainability, growth, and valuation to prioritise candidates for extended due diligence. We then subject all potential investments to a detailed sustainability assessment to initially identify whether a business’ products and services can truly be deemed sustainable – and to what extent. The 3 broad sustainable themes currently employed are:
The sustainability assessment consists of quantitative and qualitative analysis of investee companies with the intention of better understanding revenue exposures, demand drivers and ESG risks and opportunities. The quantitative analysis screens companies for which data is available and scores them based on the quality of their ESG metrics, the extent of their ESG disclosure and the momentum of both. The ESG scoring system is tailored to suit different industry sectors (as described by the Global Reporting Initiative) and, in this way, each company is only evaluated relative to its peers and its industry sector on the most relevant metrics. The peer relative analysis allows us to rank companies versus relevant peers and therefore does not benefit or limit one industry sector versus another. The scoring considers three key dynamics:
Above all, the due diligence process enables us to understand what competitive advantages or barriers to entry are sustaining a company’s return on investment to determine whether the returns will persist. We also recognise that sentiment and hype can sometimes drive up the valuations of sustainable companies and so we try to maintain a strict value discipline. We want to avoid paying up for high levels of expected growth in the future, and therefore use a variety of valuation tools including looking at valuations vs sectors, peers and the company’s history, as well as looking at the quality and growth metrics baked into a company’s valuation relative to alternatives. Resources, Affiliations & Corporate Strategies:Guinness Global Investors provides actively managed portfolios of listed equities in equity income, growth, and sector specialist strategies to assist investors in achieving long-term returns. We invest with low turnover, giving us long holding periods. The ultimate responsibility for our responsible investment approach is at Board level and lies with our chief executive officer. Our CEO chairs the Responsible Investment Committee, which includes all portfolio managers and has the objective of developing and monitoring ESG incorporation and stewardship activities. Responsibility for day-to-day consideration of responsible investment, ESG incorporation and stewardship lies with the investment teams themselves. We do not have a separate ESG team that carries out individual company ESG analysis; instead, the weight of this analysis falls on the portfolio management teams who make the ultimate investment decisions. We believe that this is the best way to make investment decisions and is consistent with our investment philosophy that responsible investment and ESG factors are integral to the investment process. Three dedicated responsible investment analysts provide support to all investment teams and prepares company-wide analysis and materials. . ESG Incorporation We combine strategic sector selection with a fundamental screening process to identify companies to analyse and assess in detail. We believe companies that have achieved sustainable growth in cashflows and have managed their businesses well through economic cycles are likely to continue to do so. Fundamental data and rigorous in-house research are the cornerstones of our investment process. This includes considering the impact of environmental, social and governance factors, which has evolved over time as more relevant data has become available. We believe that incorporation of ESG factors as part of our detailed company analysis enables us to enhance our investment process, rather than fundamentally alter it, and improves our ability to achieve our investment objectives. . Engagement As active shareholders with long-term investment horizons, engagement is a key part of our investment management process. We engage with investee companies:
Each engagement activity is made individually, with an objective as described above. We engage directly and collaboratively and do not prioritise between the various approaches. . Voting Proxy voting and the consideration of corporate governance issues are important elements of investment management. Voting is performed by the portfolio managers of the relevant strategy. In principle, our proxy voting policy is designed to support the investment managers in making decisions that maximize a company’s shareholder value. We intend to exercise all voting rights where we retain voting authority. There may be exceptions in some circumstances; administrative arrangements may prevent votes being cast or it may not be in the best interests of clients to vote (due to restrictions on liquidity or ‘share blocking’). . Involvement with Stakeholders & Industry Initiatives We understand that participation in relevant industry initiatives is essential to the development of best practice in responsible investment. We participate in several initiatives in order to promote proper functioning of markets, better our understanding in the area and contribute to the industry. These include:
SDR Labelling:Not eligible to use label LiteratureVoting RecordDisclaimerA number of Fund Filter results reflect the fact that this specialist product, by design. For current exclusions, please see the Fund’s Exclusion Policy. Other areas are not excluded in our prospectus but are outside the investment remit of the fund. |