October 20, 2000

KLD and SRI World Group Launch New Web-based Tool For Social Investors

Boston, MA - Kinder, Lydenberger, Domini, & Co., Inc. (KLD) and SRI World Group, Inc. launched a new Web-based corporate social research product designed for individual investors. This new interactive tool features information on 660 publicly traded companies and is located at www.socialfunds.com, a personal finance site operated by SRI World Group.

The information contained in this tool is based on a decade of research by KLD and offers two levels of corporate social research. The first level includes screens, which allow users to determine a company’s involvement in alcohol, gambling, tobacco, nuclear power, and military contracting. The second level of research provides ratings for strengths and concerns in the areas of environment, community, employee relations, and product issues. These brief reports cover 660 companies covering the S&P 500 and Domini 400 Social Index SM .

"Millions of investors care about a broad range of corporate social responsibility issues," said Jay Falk, Managing Principal of SRI World Group. "For the first time, these investors will be able to easily access corporate social performance information via the internet," he continued.

"This collaboration removes another barrier to social investing by enabling individuals to incorporate social issues into their investment decisions," said Peter Kinder, President and co-founder of KLD. "It represents a significant step toward greater corporate accountability."

The two firms jointly developed this new research tool for individual investors. "We are very pleased to be working with KLD to bring this important information to all investors," said Falk. SRI World Group will provide ongoing technical development and distribute the product to other finance sites through licensing agreements. KLD will regularly update the underlying research that powers this tool and expects to add reports for additional companies later this year.
KLD is the leading provider of corporate social research to institutional investors who wish to integrate social criteria into their investment decisions. The firm provides performance benchmarks, corporate accountability research, and consulting services analogous to those provided by financial research firms.
SRI World Group is an internet-based social investment information services firm. The company operates socialfunds.com, the Web’s largest personal finance site devoted to social investing and CSRwire.com, a site featuring the latest press releases relating to corporate social responsibility issues.

Domini 400 Social Index is a service mark of Kinder, Lydenberg and Domini & Co. Inc.