Cruelty Free Investing - What, How and Why? - financial independence / early retirement forum

What:

Cruelty Free Investing (CFI)is a 501c3 not-for-profit that offers a free resource for individual investors, institutional investors and financial advisors. CFI helps in deciphering companies that exploit animals before making investment decisions. The organization does not advise on stock picks.

How:

CFI’s staff researches websites and news coverage for every corporation on the three major stock exchanges (NASDAQ, NYSE, AMEX) to categorize companies that do or do not exploit animals. Specific animal-usage details for both lists are available by clicking on the company name. Although some companies are indirectly involved in animal exploitation for instance by lending money to exploitative companies, the “exploit” list includes only companies that are directly involved in denying animals their basic rights. Reasons companies are placed on the exploit list include:

Manufacturingor serving food or beverage items containing animal products
Manufacturing or selling clothing involving killing or harming animals (e.g. leather or fur)
Manufacturing or selling products involving animals for experiments
Breeding animals for food production and/or animal testing

Why:

By refusing to purchase stock in companies that actively deny animals’ basic rights, investors elevate awareness and denounce animal mistreatment. Since animal exploitation industries only represent approximately one quarter of all stocks, it is fairly easy to create a stock portfolio of cruelty-free companies. However, for investors who prefer mutual funds over individual stocks, “socially responsible”investment options are primarily focused on environment, human and labor rights but not yet on animal rights.

Cruelty Free Investing seeks to educate investors and create demand for this much-needed investment option.