Reflecting on Green Century’s 35 years of impact

What once seemed unconventional—launching a green investment firm to fund environmental nonprofits—has become a proven, long-lasting success. This year, Green Century Capital Management marks its 35th anniversary, celebrating more than three decades of helping people align their investments with their values to create a healthier planet.

An early tagline summed up its philosophy: Clean Air. Clean Water. Clean Investments.

A Unique Ownership Structure

In contrast to other mutual funds, some of which are owned by banks and insurance companies, Green Century° was founded by public health and environmental organizations.

Every dollar Green Century earns managing the Green Century Funds helps support the critical environmental and public health campaigns of its nonprofit owners: nine Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs).

Green Century also supports vital campaigns of key partners, including efforts promoting wildlife crossings, reducing the use of single-use plastics, and cutting e-waste by allowing consumers to fix their own devices.

Aligning Your Investments with Your Values

In addition to investing any profits back into environmental advocacy, Green Century aligns investments with environmental values.

From its start in 1991, Green Century avoided any investments in major coal and oil companies. As new environmental threats emerged, Green Century added nuclear energy, genetically modified foods and large factory-style farming to its list of industries it avoids.

As a pioneer in green investing, Green Century was an early champion of fossil free investing. By 2014, all of Green Century’s investment options were fossil fuel free and it became one of the first families of fossil fuel free funds.

Over the decades, environmentally responsible investors put more of their money into Green Century Funds: from $1.7 million after the first few weeks of operation in 1991; to $109 million in 2012; to $1.2 billion today. Investors also gained more and better choices. Green Century created the International Index Fund in 2016; launched an institutional share class for the Equity Fund in 2018; and updated the Balanced Fund to use the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2025.

Impactful Shareholder Advocacy

The third element in Green Century’s strategy for protecting the planet is a robust and effective shareholder advocacy program.

Green Century’s shareholder advocacy began in 1993 with PepsiCo*. Green Century filed a shareholder resolution asking the company to increase the availability of bottle drop-off systems and cut its plastic packaging. In the first year, PepsiCo agreed to reduce its lobbying against bottle bills, which reduced litter and increased recycling. Two years later and after more negotiations, Green Century got the company to replace plastic disposable shipping cartons with ones that could be reused.

Among Green Century’s other notable shareholder actions were:

• A 1996 vote calling on Time Warner* to convert TIME magazine to chlorine-free paper.
• Encouraging Thermo Electron* in 1997 to endorse the environmentally friendly CERES principles.
• Urging BP* and Phillips Petroleum* to cancel any plans for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
• Kellogg*’s decision to adopt a zero-deforestation policy in 2014.
  
  

Recent Developments and Looking Ahead

Since President Leslie Samuelrich took the helm in 2012, Green Century has expanded the shareholder advocacy team in order to achieve an even greater impact on environmental practices within the palm oil, soybean and beef supply chains, and with staff recently traveling to Brazil and Indonesia to address tropical forest protection.

Leslie’s leadership has been publicly recognized in influential media outlets. In 2024, she was selected for the esteemed Forbes’ 50 Over 50 list and she was named for the second consecutive year to the prestigious Barron’s 100 Most Influential Women in U.S. Finance, joining the ranks of other prominent and influential female leaders.

Reducing plastics, protecting forests, promoting clean energy and securing the right to repair are among the key advocacy areas today. Green Century also publishes sustainable investment guides to help investors decarbonize their portfolios.

As Green Century’s next 35 years unfold, more changes are likely as its shareholder advocacy expands into new areas, its funds grow, and its financial support continues for the environmental and public health campaigns run by the nonprofit PIRGs and our other partners.