January 14th, 2008 · No Comments

Companies such as Whole Foods were a part of the Winslow funds as early as 1992. According to a recent report in the Boston Globe, Winslow has gone from managing $50 to $70 million annually in the early ’90s to about $500 million in assets today.

So how does Mr. Robinson’s company determine what companies to invest in?

In an exchange earlier this year with Financial Planning Interactive, Mr. Robinson described the four investment disciplines his company uses in managing money for Winslow’s Green Century Balanced Fund. They are: fundamental analysis, technical analysis, a quantitative screen and environmental screen. The latter, he noted, is the screen that screens out dirty categories such as tobacco, nuclear and defense.

“What we’re really looking for are companies that are part of the environmental solution. Environmentally sensitive companies are almost always socially responsible as well, because the two are culturally very compatible,” he said.

The best performing green companies, he noted, tend to be emerging growth companies. Socially conscious companies such as Whole Foods and Wild Oats are strong. He describes them as high profile companies that “need to and do walk their talk because they have to be very conscious of branding.”

On the other hand, he notes, the Green Century Balanced Fund does have positions in three or four companies that fall in the dirty category. Robinson says the goal is to work with these companies to improve their habits. “Companies listen to shareholders and even small shareholders, so you can accomplish a lot by having a token position and communicating effectively.”

Mr. Robinson agrees that all companies — from Clorox to Shaklee — aren’t becoming greener at the expense of making money.

Corporate interest in being green, he says, “is being driven primarily by the bottom line. Environmental responsibility goes hand in hand with enhancing profitability.”

Copyright © 2008 | Distributed by Noofangle Media

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