The word sustainable is relevant for dividend investors and for investors who are concerned about environmental and social issues, but with different meanings.
A dividend investor looks for companies with the financial strength to sustain or grow their payouts. Investors can also look for investments that are sustainable in the sense that they minimize their exposure to harmful environmental impacts, create a diverse and equitable workspace, and have strong corporate governance practices.
While sustainable investing concerns can play a role in a company s financial strength a chemical company can be hit with multibillion dollar fines, or a beverage company can be vulnerable to the costs of using too much water for this particular article, we weren t looking for an explicit connection between dividend strength and strong sustainability practices at a company. Instead we looked for stocks that screen well on both dividends and a strong sustainable corporate profile.