Company Spotlight: Unilever*

© Greg Comollo / Ben & Jerry’s

From indulgent ice cream, like Ben & Jerry’s, to household care essentials, the more than 400 brands of Unilever, a holding in the Green Century MSCI International Index Fund, are used by 2.5 billion people every day in 190 countries. It’s also a company committed to profit through purpose, especially sustainability.

This summer, Unilever announced that it would invest more than $1 billion over the next decade to combat the climate crisis and achieve net zero emissions across its value chain by 2039. As one of the largest consumer goods firms on the planet, Unilever’s sustainability commitment will have a profound environmental impact.

Unilever’s new Climate and Nature Fund will support a range of environmental initiatives, including reforestation, wildlife protection, and landscape and water preservation and restoration projects.

Unilever’s new sustainability goals included a commitment to achieve a deforestation-free supply chain by 2023. The company also said it would prioritize suppliers with science-based climate targets, require suppliers to disclose their carbon footprint, and work to standardize emissions data collection and disclosure.

When announcing the new sustainability goals and Climate and Nature Fund, Unilever CEO Alan Jope stressed that the company was taking a holistic approach to corporate sustainability:

“Climate change, nature degradation, biodiversity decline, water scarcity — all these issues are interconnected, and we must address them all simultaneously. In doing so, we must also recognize that the climate crisis is not only an environmental emergency; it also has a terrible impact on lives and livelihoods. We, therefore, have a responsibility to help tackle the crisis: as a business, and through direct action by our brands.”

Unilever did not stop there. In July, the company announced that it was joining forces with Microsoft,* Nike,* Starbucks* and other industry titans to launch “Transform to Net Zero,” an initiative to provide guidance, research, and blueprints to help businesses across the globe achieve zero carbon emissions by 2050 or sooner.

Unilever is just one of the sustainable leaders in the Green Century MSCI international Index Fund, the first fossil fuel free, diversified, and responsible international index fund available in to investors in the U.S.

Green Century Capital Management, Inc. (Green Century) is the investment advisor to the Green Century Funds (the Funds).

*As of June 30, 2020, Unilever comprised 1.01%, 0.00%, and 1.71%; Microsoft Corporation comprised 3.29%, 10.51%, and 0.00%; Nike Inc. comprised 0.82%, 0.87%, and 0.00%; and Starbucks Corporation comprised 1.61%, 0.62%, and 0.00% of the Green Century Balanced Fund, the Green Century Equity Fund, and the Green Century MSCI International Index Fund, respectively. References to specific securities, which will change due to ongoing management of the Funds, should not be construed as a recommendation by the Funds, their administrator, or the distributor.

You should carefully consider the Fund’s investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses before investing. To obtain a Prospectus that contains this and other information about the Funds please click here, email info@greencentury.com, or call 1-800-934-7336. Please read the Prospectus carefully before investing.

Stocks will fluctuate in response to factors that may affect a single company, industry, sector, country, region or the market as a whole and may perform worse than the market. Foreign securities are subject to additional risks such as currency fluctuations, regional economic or political conditions, differences in accounting methods, and other unique risks compared to investing in securities of U.S. issuers. Bonds are subject to risks including interest rate, credit, and inflation. A sustainable investment strategy which incorporates environmental, social and governance criteria may result in lower or higher returns than an investment strategy that does not include such criteria.

This information has been prepared from sources believed to be reliable. The views expressed are as of the date of this writing and are those of the Advisor to the Funds.

The Green Century Funds are distributed by UMB Distribution Services, LLC. 235 W Galena Street, Milwaukee, WI 53212. 8/20