Services

: Equity analysis

Profundo provides research, advice and training services. With our multi-disciplinary team we aim to dig deeper and look further, to help you most effectively in realising your sustainable ambitions. Select one of our five thematic areas to get a brief description of the services we offer per area. Contact us to find out more, as we always aim to tailor our approaches to the needs of our clients!

Field research

We analyse the various human rights and other sustainability risks in international commodity supply chains and identify what different stakeholders can do to foster sustainable development of value chains in agriculture, forestry, livestock, energy, fisheries and mineral sectors. Our services:

• Supply chain mapping: identifying stakeholders in international supply chains and quantifying trade relationships, to analyse and visualize the power relations in the chain;

• Risk analysis: analysing human rights, gender inequality and biodiversity risks in the production and processing stages of international supply chains;

• Value chain development: identifying opportunities to improve value chain governance and to add local value to commodity production;

• Training value chains and human rights: training, capacity development and process facilitation for local and international stakeholders on value chain governance and development;

• Certification analysis: stakeholder mapping and analysis of multi-stakeholder governance strategies, standards and certification schemes;

• Strategic advice companies: advising on CSR and sustainability policies, risk management, procurement and human rights due diligence practices of stakeholders in international supply chains;

• Policy analysis: legal and policy analysis on international human rights issues, such as land grabbing, refugees and armed conflicts; and

• Monitoring & Evaluation: baseline, mid-term and final project monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of value chain projects.

Financial and tax research

We analyse how companies are financed by banks, shareholders and others financiers, to assess what financiers could do to foster sustainable corporate practices. Also, we dig into ownership structures and the schemes companies have set up to minimise tax payments. Our services:

• Financiers’ analysis: identifying the financiers of companies and assessing their potential influence on corporate practices;

• Portfolio screening: analysing the portfolios of financiers and their exposure to various Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) risks through their investments;

• Ownership analysis: unravelling corporate ownership structures and mapping the power relations between different stakeholders of large corporate groups;

• Tax avoidance research: identifying corporate tax avoidance schemes and analysing policy options to close the loopholes;

• Regulatory research: analysing international developments in financial sector regulation and assessing opportunities to include sustainability criteria;

• Market analysis: analysing levels of vertical and horizontal integration of markets and sectors, to assess the influence of corporate players on investments, employment and sustainability; and

• Training finance and tax: providing training and capacity development for local and international stakeholders on financial and tax issues.

Policy research

We assess and benchmark responsible investment and credit policies of banks and investors and we advise on how policies can be improved and implemented through screening, voting, engagement and exclusion strategies.

We analyse public policies in the economic, tax and environmental domains, which could shape or restrain the sustainable transformation of the corporate and financial world, and propose alternative policies.

Our services:

• Benchmarking SRI policies: assessing Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) and credit policies of banks and investors, benchmarking them against international CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) and SRI standards and best practices;

• Portfolio footprinting: reviewing the footprints of investor and credit portfolios related to carbon, water, biodiversity, human rights and other sustainability impacts;

• SRI advice: advising financial institutions how their responsible investment and credit policies can be improved and how they can be implemented effectively through screening, voting, engagement and exclusion strategies;

• Campaign advice: advising Civil Society Organisations on how to engage with financial institutions in order to reach their objectives;

• CSR research: evaluating if companies live up to sustainability and CSR standards, for example with regards to labour rights, resource management and biodiversity impacts;

• Impact investment advice: advising how financiers could contribute actively to finding solutions for urgent sustainability challenges - ranging from climate change to armed conflicts, water scarcity and income inequality; 

• Training responsible investments: providing training and capacity development as well as process facilitation for local and international stakeholders on responsible investment and credit policies and practices;

• Policy assessment: analysing how existing policies of national governments or multilateral bodies shape the (sustainable) development of markets and sectors;

• Lobbying research: mapping the power of (corporate) actors involved in lobbying and shaping public policies;

• State capture mapping: identifying forms of state capture, whereby specific companies profit excessively from public policies, tax schemes, subsidies and procurement decisions;

• Cost-benefit analysis: making a social and environmental cost-benefit analysis of proposed policy interventions;

• Policy advice: drafting alternative policies and designing new policy instruments, which could facilitate the sustainable transformation of markets and sectors; and

• Training public policy: providing training and capacity development for local and international stakeholders on analysing and influencing public policies.

Supply chain and market research

We analyse how various commodities find their way from production countries to the supermarket through international supply chains and we analyse the market power of companies operate in crucial markets. Our services:

• Supply chain mapping: identifying stakeholders in international supply chains and quantifying trade relationships, to analyse and visualize the power relations in the chain;

• Market analysis: analysing levels of vertical and horizontal integration of markets and sectors, to assess the influence of corporate players on investments, employment and sustainability;

• Lobbying research: mapping the power of (corporate) actors involved in lobbying and shaping public policies; and

• State capture mapping: identifying forms of state capture, whereby specific companies profit excessively from public policies, tax schemes, subsidies and procurement decisions;