Investing responsibly, together
At Schroders Personal Wealth, we are a leader, dedicated to investing responsibly.
By helping our clients achieve their financial goals, we can make a difference to individuals, to families and to society as a whole.
Together we change lives, together we can build a better tomorrow.
Together, we have an opportunity to help future generations.
By implementing a responsible investing approach, we could help your money contribute to a more sustainable future and make a difference to the planet and to society.
As an accredited Responsible Business, we are leading in investing responsibly.
As a responsible business we want to go one step further and introduce a responsible investment approach to our client’s investments.
Responsible investment
We define responsible investment as incorporating environmental, social and governance (known as 'ESG') factors when researching and selecting investments.
We believe companies that score highly on responsible business practices generally have better reputations, are less likely to suffer negative or harmful publicity, are more attractive to consumers, employees and investors, and deliver better returns over time. Although as with all investments, your capital is at risk.
Our investment objectives
From 30 November 2022, our discretionary managed portfolios will be managed using a responsible investment approach. We will now be considering ESG factors in our investment decisions; however, none of our investment objectives will change.
By implementing a responsible investment approach, we believe we will be able to better manage investment risks to help us achieve those investment objectives.
How fund managers are selected
Schroder Investment Management Limited, our investment adviser, will incorporate an ESG assessment into the selection criteria of investment managers for SPW Multi-Manager Funds and third party funds. This assessment covers how well ESG analysis is incorporated into the investment process.
Only investment managers and funds that meet a minimum standard will be eligible for investment.
Exclusions
Investment managers used in SPW Multi-Manager funds will be prohibited from holding certain stocks. Companies that derive more than a set limit of their revenue from the following harmful activities will be excluded:
• Production of controversial weapons
• Production or retail of assault style weapons for civilian use
• Extracting thermal coal or its use in power generation
• Producing tobacco and/or tobacco components
• Tar sand mining for oil extraction.
How we're influencing change
Our approach generally favours positive change over exclusion. We will try to encourage companies to improve their characteristics from a responsible perspective and contribute to a more economically sustainable future over the medium to long term. This will involve the investment managers used in SPW Multi-Manger funds assessing the ESG factors of the companies in which they are investing.
These investment managers will exclude any company with very poor ESG factors and that is not taking appropriate action to improve its business practices.
Keeping you updated
We will produce a Responsible Investment Report, which, alongside our clients’ statements showing their returns, will show them the difference their money is having on the environment and wider society.
We will be transparent by measuring and reporting the issues that matter most to our clients. This may include the carbon emissions of our portfolios, the gender diversity of companies in which we invest, or many other issues we know they care about. We will also report on them annually to illustrate how they have changed over time, with our first report expected at the end of 2023.
Responsible investing for SPW Portfolio Funds
SPW Portfolio funds invest primarily in a diversified range of Schroders managed funds, which themselves invest in a mix of global equities, global bonds and alternative investments.
Overall, each SPW Portfolio fund will target a better sustainability score than that of its benchmark. A sustainability score is a measure of how well a fund’s underlying investments are managing their ESG risks and opportunities.
Responsible investment FAQs
We’ve put together a set of frequently asked questions (FAQ) to help you understand what we are doing, why we are doing it, and how it will affect your investments.
If you still have queries after referring to this FAQ, please get in touch with your Personal Wealth Adviser.
A-Z of sustainability terms
Sustainability has become a core consideration for many investors. Impacts on the planet, such as climate change and biodiversity loss, and on people, for example through the treatment of workers, are in the news every day.
We’ve put together an A-Z of key terms for you to dip into. It will be updated over time.