Ethical Investment Advisory Group Church of England Ethical Investment Advisory Group Pornography ethical investment policy November 2011 The EIAG recommends that the National Investing Bodies should exclude from their investments any company that derives material revenue from the production or distribution of pornography, the staging of live sex shows or the ownership of sex shops. ‘Pornography’ should be understood as ‘the sexually explicit depiction of persons, in words or images, created with the primary, proximate aim, and reasonable hope, of eliciting significant sexual arousal on the part of the consumer of such’1. Business activities captured under this policy should include: • Publishing or wholesaling of pornographic newspapers and magazines • The production of pornographic videos, films and/or software • The operation of pornographic internet portals or websites • The offer of pornography on cable, digital and satellite television • The provision of pornography through telecommunication networks providers with ‘walled garden’ facilities • The ownership or management of sex shops and lap dancing clubs ‘Material revenue’ should be understood as Group revenue exceeding both £1m and 3% of Group turnover, derived either directly or through owned-subsidiaries. The EIAG will be advised by its ethical screening service provider on companies for exclusion from investment under this policy but will make bespoke recommendations to the national investing bodies where appropriate. 1 The definition in The Encyclopedia of Ethics, ‘Pornography’, by Donald VanDeVeer, New York: Garland, 1992 Church House, Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3AZ Chairman: James Featherby. Secretary: Edward Mason Email:
[email protected] Website: http://www.churchofengland.org/about-us/structure/eiag POLICY THEOLOGY, ETHICS AND REASONING 1.