Exclusionary screening is the practice of excluding companies from a portfolio based on non-financial criteria. This is a primary way for faith-based investors to ensure that their profits are made in sectors and companies whose work is in line with the beliefs and policies of the Church.
In selecting among investment alternatives which are suitable for the Pension Boards' portfolio based on the Pension Boards' Investment Guidelines, investments should be avoided in companies or industries that the Investment Committee has determined adversely affect human rights, contribute to the denial of such rights or threaten the quality of human life or of the environment, provided that the investment manager is able to identify alternatives with the same or superior reward/risk relationships. The Investment Committee has decided that companies in the U.S. firearms, gambling, tobacco, and thermal coal and tar sands industries should be avoided to the extent possible within the above policy.