Bloomberg announced the launch of the Bloomberg Screened Choice Indices, a comprehensive and customizable suite of market cap-weighted equity benchmarks designed to help investors integrate their choice of values-based exclusions into their portfolios. Users can choose to use the new benchmarks or fully customize the screening to their individual preferences.  

"The launch of Screened Choice Indices demonstrates Bloomberg Indices' ongoing investment into expanding our equities offering and providing transparent and customizable sustainable investment solutions," said Zarina Nasib, Global Head of Sustainable Indices Index Product at Bloomberg Index Services Limited. "Whether clients have explicit exclusion policies requiring custom solutions or are seeking a foundational benchmark off-the-shelf, this index family offers a flexible framework to meet their needs." 

The Bloomberg Screened Choice Indices enable investors to manage their portfolios within a rules-based, modular methodology that bundles exclusions into the six most common exclusion themes. Allowing for significant customization, the modules can be selected individually or combined to meet specific investment mandates and values-based criteria, as well as used as an overlay in combination with other Bloomberg equity index strategies. The six modules include:  

• Core - sets baseline criteria for sustainable investment products, and excludes companies active in thermal coal production, tobacco production and controversial weapons, as well as companies deemed non-compliant with UNGC Principles. 
• Fossil Fuels and Non-Renewable Energy - focused on common exclusions of fossil fuels and non-renewable energy. 
• Fossil Fuels Enhanced - eliminates companies that have direct involvement or exposure through ownership in a broad range of fossil fuel production, extraction, generation and/or supporting products and services. 
• Vice Products - excludes companies involved in adult entertainment, alcohol, gambling, and tobacco. 
• Weapons - excludes companies involved in controversial and conventional weapons and military contracting. 
• Controversial Conduct - module excludes companies that have been flagged as violating UNGC Principles or involved in severe ESG controversies. 

At launch, Bloomberg offers 66 off-the-shelf indices based on three module configurations: Bloomberg Select Indices (Core module); Bloomberg Select FossilEX Indices (Core, Fossil Fuels and Non-Renewable Energy modules); and the Bloomberg Screened Choice Indices (all six modules).  

The indices utilize Bloomberg's proprietary technical architecture and advanced entity mapping capabilities to ensure precise and reliable screening. They also integrate the Bloomberg Industry Classification System (BICS), which groups over 60,000 listed equities based on shared economic activities and provides up to seven levels of sector granularity. This integration enhances screening accuracy and ensures consistency across the index construction process.