Investing in Adaptable Companies

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Investing in Adaptable Companies

Written by Casson Rosenblatt

Wednesday, 02 May 2007 09:49

As an individual interested in investing her money wisely and consciously, it is often hard to know exactly what to do. Particularly if you are not flush with cash. Many people choose socially screened mutual funds or socially screened index funds, but what if you want to make an investment in a single company you feel is helping shape the world? How does one choose the right home for one's hard-earned cash? Recently Newsweek published a list of the 100 most adaptable companies in the world when it comes to climate change. It is questionable if "adaptable" actually means that the company is, by definition "responsible," but the list certainly provides a strong jumping off point for individual research.

Compiled by Corporate Knights and Innovest, the list was first announced at Davos in January. The original list was not ranked, and used the term "sustainable company." For Newsweek, however, the authors purposely ranked their list by "how effectively they manage environmental risks and opportunities relative to their industry peers."

One thing you will notice in the Newsweek list is that US companies are significantly behind when it comes to adapting to climate change and environmental risk. Only one of the top ten, Hewlett-Packard (HP), is based in the United States. Europe and Japan come out way ahead in this game.

Following are the top ten:

NAME OF COMPANY	TYPE OF COMPANY	COUNTRY
1. Royal Bank Of Canada (RY)	Banks—N. America	Canada
2. Lafarge Construction (LR)	Materials	France
3. Grupo Ferrovial SA (FER.MC)	Construction & Engineering	Spain
4. Westpac Banking Corp. (WBK)	Banks—Asia	Australia
5. Yell Group PLC Advertising (YELL)	Advertising	United Kingdom
6. Denso Corp. (DNZO.Y)	Auto Components	Japan
7. Toppan Printing Company Ltd. (TPPOF)	Commercial Services & Supplies	Japan
8. Hewlett-Packard Company (HPQ)	Computers & Peripherals	United States
9. Adidas Salomon Agency (ADSG.DE)	Textiles, Apparel & Luxury Goods	Germany
10. Vestas Windsystems A/S (VWS)	Electrical Equipment	Denmark