Taking action together for positive outcomes

We know your clients want a good financial return on their investments, but they also want their money invested in a responsible way¹.

The issues of an ageing population have coincided with a climate crisis that’s damaging the world your clients will retire into. So it’s more important than ever that the money in our care is invested responsibly.

Some of the companies we invest in have large carbon footprints. We believe they’re instrumental in making a difference to the fight against climate change. After all, if the largest carbon emitting companies don’t change, the world will never be sustainable.

Engagement vs. exclusion

We believe in engagement rather than relying on exclusion. This means we work with the companies we invest in to influence their transition into a sustainable business model - and to do so in a fair way.

Ultimately, responsible investing isn’t about choosing values over value, but how we can integrate both to deliver long-term investment returns.

Removing investment (divesting) from companies removes our ability to encourage change. It might also mean selling those shares to someone who doesn’t share the same sense of concern and urgency around tackling the climate crisis. And this could have a hugely detrimental impact on society and people’s lives.

By helping your clients invest responsibly, we increase our industry’s ability to influence the companies that can make the biggest difference in tackling the climate crisis.

We all have the power to make a difference

By including environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues in our investment decisions, we aim to improve the impact of the money your clients invest with us on the wider world.

With the responsibility for managing over £153 billion of our customers’ money², we play a significant part in helping society transition to a sustainable world.

That’s why we challenge the companies we invest in on topics that are most relevant to our investments and can have the biggest impact on environmental and social outcomes, as well as aiming to provide customers with the best possible returns.  

Find out more

Download our engagement case studies booklet to find out more about our engagement approach and the companies we’ve engaged with to influence positive change.

¹ Royal London, Responsible Investment research, December 2020^.
2 Royal London, 30 June 2021.