Tobacco presents an array of health, ethical and social risks that are well-known and long- studied. This report, drawing on new academic analysis from Maastricht University School of Business and Economics demonstrates that declining returns and growing business threats present a clear and present financial risk for investors in tobacco.

This study researches the performance of a portfolio excluding tobacco over 20 years and investigated financial results at varying levels of tobacco exclusion. Key takeaways included that portfolios with very strict tobacco exclusions outperformed the market (in a six year study) and an index portfolio without tobacco didn’t underperform the index with tobacco, over the last 20 years.

Tobacco presents an array of health, ethical and social risks that are well-known and long- studied. This report, drawing on new academic analysis from Maastricht University School of Business and Economics demonstrates that declining returns and growing business threats present a clear and present financial risk for investors in tobacco.

Analysing the tobacco industry from a political, economic, social and technological perspective, Maastricht University’s report aims to gain a better understanding of the intrinsic value of tobacco stocks in light of all recent potential risk factors by using the technique of scenario analysis. The report suggests significant potential downside risk.

For World No Tobacco Day 2020, Tobacco Free Portfolios together with the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative and Principles for Responsible Investment co-hosted a high-level webinar to showcase progress in attracting new signatories to the Tobacco-Free Finance Pledge.

Tobacco Free Portfolios, together with the International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds (IFSWF), were pleased to co-host the webinar ‘Aligning portfolios with international treaties – where does tobacco fit in?’. In this video, hear from finance leaders who have gone tobacco-free, including Ian Silk, CEO AustralianSuper, Oliver Rousseau, Executive Director Fonds de Reserve Pour Les…

Hear from some of Australia’s leading CEOs on why they went tobacco-free, why tobacco-free finance is an important step on the sustainable journey, what they would say to super funds that haven’t gone tobacco-free and how they feel leading a super fund that is tobacco-free.  

Tobacco Free Portfolios CEO Dr Bronwyn King AO was pleased to participate in the global webinar ‘Smoke & Mirrors: Healthcare company retirement plans are addicted to tobacco’, alongside As You Sow, the USA’s non-profit leader in shareholder advocacy, on Wednesday, October 28, 2020.  

In 2020, tobacco will kill five times more people than COVID-19—and is on track to kill one billion people this century. Furthermore, cigarette butts are the largest single type of litter by count, and have become the number one form of plastic pollution in the ocean, surpassing plastic straws. As the world moves to protect…

As the year draws to a close it’s a good time to reflect on how much has changed and how we’ve adapted to the new reality. Never before has health and economics been discussed so much – in the one conversation! The work of Tobacco Free Portfolios has always sat between the world of finance…

COVID-19 has presented many challenges to communities across the globe and we send our support to all those who have been and continue to be impacted. Many have emphasised how important Tobacco Free Portfolios’ work is right now, including finance leaders who continue to prioritise global health through new tobacco-free decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic….

In six months, Tobacco Free Portfolios welcomed 19 new Signatories to the Tobacco-Free Finance Pledge bringing the total number of Signatories to 129. These Signatories represent US$8.25 Trillion Assets Under Management and US$2.08 Trillion Corporate Loan Books with Gross Insurance Premiums amounting to US$186 Billion. This newsletter also  acknowledges IDLC Finance Limited of Bangladesh –…

2019 saw a dramatic increase in awareness of tobacco-free finance and implementation of new investment frameworks that consistently saw tobacco excluded from portfolios. These decisions are better for human health and better for the planet. Pressure on tobacco companies continued to rise. New anti-tobacco regulations were implemented across the globe (including plain packaging, new tax increases,…

Tobacco Free Portfolios launched the Tobacco-Free Finance Pledge during the UN General Assembly in New York City in September 2018  with 93 Founding Signatories with combined AUM of US$6 trillion. This newsletter features highlights and give thanks to Governments of Australia and France that co-sponsored the event and UN and corporate partners for driving global…

2018 started on a high note when in January the Dutch pension giant ABP announced their tobacco-free move. It was a great pleasure to work with ABP in reaching this decision and we were delighted to welcome ABP Trustee 􏰉Xander Den 􏰊Uyl to the Tobacco Free Portfolios Global Advisory Council. Other tobacco-free announcements to hit…