Analysis by Schroders has found that more “sustainable” companies appear to have performed better during the March downturn than their regular peers.

The analysis shows that European stocks ranking in the top quartile for sustainability (according to a Schroders proprietary tool) experienced an average share price decline of 29 percent from the market peak on 17 February to the trough on 23 March.

By contrast, stocks in the fourth quartile (th...