Meet the Funds: Inside Our Vegan-Screened Portfolios

When you invest with Vegan Invest, where does your money actually go? What companies are you supporting? And how do we make sure they're genuinely aligned with vegan values?

Let's open up our portfolios and show you exactly what's inside.

Our Screening Methodology

Before any investment enters our portfolios, it must pass through multiple screening layers:

Layer 1: Explicit Exclusions

We automatically exclude any company significantly involved in:

Animal exploitation:

• Factory farming and industrial animal agriculture
• Meat processing and production
• Dairy and egg production
• Animal testing (cosmetics, household products, non-essential pharmaceutical)
• Fur, leather, wool, and silk production
• Animal entertainment (zoos, marine parks, racing)
• Hunting and fishing operations

Environmental harm:

• Fossil fuel extraction, refining, and power generation
• Coal mining
• Deforestation
• Companies with serious environmental violations

Other ethical concerns:

• Weapons and arms manufacturing
• Tobacco production
• Gambling operations
• Companies with serious human rights violations

Layer 2: Revenue Thresholds

Even partial involvement matters. We exclude companies with more than 5% revenue from excluded activities. Many "ethical" funds use 10% or higher thresholds—we think that's too permissive.

Layer 3: Supply Chain Analysis

We look beyond direct activities to major supply chain issues. A company might not produce meat, but if their primary business depends on factory-farmed ingredients, they're out.

Layer 4: Positive Selection

From the remaining universe, we favour companies actively contributing to:

• Renewable energy and clean technology
• Plant-based food innovation
• Sustainable materials
• Healthcare and education
• Digital services with low environmental impact

Portfolio Composition

We offer five risk-banded portfolios, each with different allocations to bonds vs. equities:

Portfolio	Bonds	Equities	Risk level
Defensive	80%	20%	Lower
Cautious	60%	40%	Low-Medium
Balanced	40%	60%	Medium
Growth	20%	80%	Medium-High
Adventurous	0%	100%	Higher

Within each allocation, we diversify across:

• Geographic regions (UK, US, Europe, Asia, Emerging Markets)
• Company sizes (large-cap, mid-cap, small-cap)
• Sectors (technology, healthcare, consumer, industrials, etc.)

Sample Holdings

Here are examples of what you'll find in our portfolios:

Technology:

• Microsoft (carbon-negative commitment, no animal agriculture exposure)
• Salesforce (B Corp certified, strong sustainability)
• Adobe (digital products, minimal environmental footprint)

Healthcare:

• Companies developing non-animal testing alternatives
• Digital health and telemedicine
• Medical device companies with cruelty-free practices

Consumer:

• Plant-based food companies
• Sustainable fashion brands
• Cruelty-free cosmetics makers

Clean energy:

• Solar and wind energy producers
• Energy efficiency technology
• Electric vehicle infrastructure

Finance:

• Banks with fossil fuel exclusion policies
• Insurance companies excluding animal agriculture
• Payment processors and fintech

What You Won't Find

You will never see these types of holdings in our portfolios:

Meat and dairy:

• No JBS, Tyson, WH Group
• No Nestlé, Danone (despite plant-based divisions, too much dairy)
• No McDonald's, Yum! Brands, Restaurant Brands

Animal testing:

• No testing-dependent pharmaceutical companies
• No non-cruelty-free cosmetics makers
• No household product companies testing on animals

Fossil fuels:

• No ExxonMobil, Shell, BP, Chevron
• No coal companies
• No pipeline operators

Weapons:

• No defense contractors
• No arms manufacturers
• No companies involved in controversial weapons

Ongoing Monitoring

Screening isn't one-and-done. We continuously monitor holdings for:

Corporate changes:

• Mergers and acquisitions
• New business lines
• Changes in practice

Controversies:

• Environmental violations
• Animal welfare incidents
• Governance failures

Policy updates:

• Improved or weakened commitments
• New transparency reports
• Industry certifications

When holdings no longer meet our criteria, we remove them.

The Funds We Use

We construct portfolios using a combination of:

Passively managed ETFs:

• Lower costs
• Broad diversification
• ESG-screened versions of major indices

Actively managed ethical funds:

• Specialist sustainable and ethical funds
• Managers with expertise in impact selection
• Thematic funds (clean energy, sustainable food, etc.)

This blend gives you both cost efficiency and genuine ethical selection.

Comparing to Other "Ethical" Options

Many "ethical" or "ESG" funds would fail our screens:

Fund type	Typical approach	Our approach
Standard ESG	Best-in-class (includes less bad options)	Exclusion (no involvement)
Sustainable	Focus on environment, often ignores animals	Full ethical screening including animals
"Green" funds	May hold natural gas as "transition fuel"	No fossil fuels period
Generic ethical	Often 10%+ revenue thresholds	5% threshold

Transparency Commitment

We believe you have the right to know exactly where your money goes. That's why we provide:

• Quarterly portfolio reports with full holdings
• Annual impact reports showing positive outcomes
• On-demand access to current holdings
• Clear explanation of any changes

Your money, your values, your right to know.

Want to see exactly what you'd be invested in? Get your personalised portfolio recommendation.