Schroder SUTL Cazenove Sustainable Growth Fund

SRI Style:

Sustainability Tilt

SDR Labelling:

Sustainability Focus label

Product:

OEIC

Fund Region:

Global

Fund Asset Type:

Mixed Asset

Launch Date:

13/01/2021

Last Amended:

Jul 2023

Dialshifter ():

Fund Size:

£690.38m

(as at: 31/12/2024)

ISIN:

GB00BF782168, GB00BF782275, GB00BF782382, GB00BF782499

Objectives:

The fund aims to provide capital growth and income of CPI+4% (after fees have been deducted) over any five to seven year period by investing in a diversified range of assets and markets worldwide which meet the investment manager’s sustainability criteria. Please note that the target return is not guaranteed and your capital is at risk.

Sustainable, Responsible
&/or ESG Overview:

Fund manager declined to supply information (April 2024)

Fund last updated July 2023

 

The fund is a diversified portfolio of equities, bonds, alternatives and cash intending to deliver long-term growth ahead of inflation. It targets an attractive return of UK inflation (as measured by the Consumer Price Index) plus 4% per annum over any five-to-seven year period, investing in assets that meet the fund’s sustainable criteria and have positive impact on people and planet. Please note that the target return is not guaranteed. We measure and manage the impact created by the underlying investments. We also produce an annual impact report for the fund.

Primary fund last amended:

Jul 2023

Information directly from fund manager.

Fund Filters

Sustainability - General
Sustainability policy

Funds that have policies that consider (environmental and social) sustainability issues. Strategies vary but are likely to consider environmental issues like climate change, carbon emissions, biodiversity loss, resource management, environmental impacts; and social issues like equal opportunities, human rights, labour standards, diversity and adherence to internationally recognised codes. See fund information.

Sustainability theme or focus

Find funds where there is a significant emphasis on (environmental and social) sustainability. Funds with a 'sustainability theme' typically place more emphasis on the area than funds with a 'sustainability policy' - meaning that it is more likely to drive investment selection. Strategies vary. See fund information for further detail.

Environmental - General
Environmental policy

Funds that have policies which relate to environmental issues. These will typically set out the fund's stance on issues such as pollution, climate change, resource management, biodiversity loss, carbon emissions, plastics and/or additional environmental impacts. Strategies vary. See fund information for further information.

Limits exposure to carbon intensive industries

Funds that limit or 'reduce' their exposure to carbon intensive industries (ie sectors which are major contributors to climate change. Funds vary - some funds may be 'underweight' in this area which means they may have some investment in highly carbon intensive areas. Funds of this kind may choose companies they consider to be 'best in sector' and encourage ever higher standards. Strategies vary. See fund information for further details.

Resource efficiency policy or theme

Find funds that have a policy or theme that relates to managing natural resources more efficiently. Funds with this policy will be likely to favour companies that make (or enable the) more efficient use of resources - and either avoid or encourage change amongst companies with lower standards. Strategies vary. See fund information for further detail.

Favours cleaner, greener companies

Funds that aim to invest in companies with strong or market leading environmental policies and practices. Strategies vary - in particular the balance between 'financial' aspects and environmental benefits. Some may invest substantially in solutions or 'positive impact' companies - others may invest in more conventional companies providing certain environmental criteria are met. See fund information for further detail.

Plastics policy

Funds that are reviewing or encouraging companies to manage down the overuse of plastics (particularly single use, non-recyclable plastics). These funds will typically aim to encourage the use of alternative materials, but are unlikely to exclude companies purely on the basis of their use of plastics. Strategies vary. See fund information for further detail.

Nature & Biodiversity
Illegal deforestation exclusion policy

Find funds that have policies in place explaining that they avoid companies involved in illegal and/or unsustainable deforestation. This may relate to palm oil, cattle farming or other concerns. Strategies vary. See fund information for further detail.

Climate Change & Energy
Hydrogen policy or theme

Has a policy or theme which sets out the fund's position on investment in companies researching/developing hydrogen as an energy solutions

Fossil fuel exploration exclusion - direct involvement

The fund manager excludes companies with direct involvement in fossil fuel exploration (eg coal, oil and gas companies)

Fossil fuel exploration exclusion – indirect involvement

The fund manager excludes companies with indirect involvement in fossil fuel exploration. For example they would be expected to exclude banks and insurance companies that are effectively enabling new coal, oil and or gas reserves to be discovered and in due course extracted through the provision of necessary finance or services.

Paris aligned fund strategy

This fund has a strategy that aims ensure its holdings will gradually reduce their greenhouse gas emissions in line with targets set at COP21 in Paris. The ultimate aim is to achieve ‘net zero emissions by 2050’ and a ‘maximum global temperature increase of +1.5 to +2 degrees above preindustrial levels’. Strategies and opinions vary. Read fund information.

Social / Employment
Social policy

Find funds that have policies which set out their approach to social issues (e.g. human rights, labour standards, equal opportunities, child labour and adherence to internationally recognised codes such as the UN Global Compact). Funds with social policies typically avoid companies with low standards or work to encourage higher standards. See fund information for detail.

Labour standards policy

Find funds that have a labour standards policy - which can be expected to mean that the fund will invest in / favour companies that have higher standards in this area - although fund strategies can vary significantly (as with all policy areas). See eg https://www.ilo.org/international-labour-standards

Ethical Values Led Exclusions
Tobacco and related product manufacturers excluded

Companies are excluded if they are involved in any aspect of the production chain for tobacco products, including cigarettes, vaping, e-cigarettes, chewing tobacco and cigars.

Armaments manufacturers avoided

Find funds that avoid companies that manufacture products intended specifically for military use. Fund strategies vary - particularly with regard to non-strategic military products. See fund literature for fund specific details.

Civilian firearms production exclusion

Find funds with a written civilian firearms exclusion policy - meaning that they will not invest in companies that make (or perhaps also sell) handguns made for non-military users.

Alcohol production excluded

Find funds that avoid investment in companies involved in the production of alcohol. Strategies vary; some funds allow a small proportion of profits to come from this area. See fund literature for further information.

Gambling avoidance policy

Find funds that avoid companies with significant involvement in the gambling industry. Some funds may allow a small proportion of profits to come from this area. See fund policy for further details.

Pornography avoidance policy

Find funds that avoid companies that derive significant income from pornography and related areas. Strategies vary. See fund details for further information.

Animal welfare policy

Find funds with policies that require specific animal welfare standards to be met. These may reference well-known welfare standards (3Rs - Replace, Reduce, Refine) or certification schemes. Strategies vary. See fund information for further detail.

Human Rights
Human rights policy

Find funds that have policies relating to human rights issues. Funds of this kind typically require companies to demonstrate higher standards, although some fund managers work to encourage improvements. Investee companies are often judged against internationally agreed norms or standards. Strategies vary. See fund information for further detail.

Child labour exclusion

Find funds that have policies in place to ensure they do not invest in companies that employ children.

Responsible supply chain policy or theme

Find funds that have policies or a theme that relates to the responsible management of supply chains. These may relate to employment issues, notably people employed by their suppliers, as well as the sourcing of materials and products. See fund literature for further information.

Banking & Financials
Predatory lending exclusion

Fund excludes financial services companies with widely criticised, aggressive lending practices where interest rates are typically very high, includes ‘doorstep lending’)

Governance & Management
Governance policy

Find fund options that have policies that relate to corporate governance issues such as board structure, executive remuneration, bribery and/or corporate corruption. These funds will typically avoid companies with poor practices. Strategies vary. See fund literature for further information.

Avoids companies with poor governance

Find funds that aim to avoid investing in companies with poor governance practices.(e.g. board structure, management practices etc.) Views may however vary on what counts as 'poor' practices - and funds may not immediately divest as they may prefer to work to encourage higher standards. See fund literature for further information.

Anti-bribery and corruption policy

Find funds that have policies explaining how managers will respond to assets / companies that do not comply with relevant anti-bribery and anti-corruption standards or laws. Strategies vary; options include stewardship/ engagement and divestment - or a combination. See fund literature for further information.

Digital / cyber security policy

Find funds that have policies explaining how the fund managers take into account digital/cyber security related risks. Funds with cyber policies will typically favour companies with higher standards or that are helping to solve problems - but strategies vary. See fund literature for further information.

Encourage board diversity e.g. gender

Fund managers encourage the companies they invest in to have more diverse board structures (e.g. more women on boards)

Encourage TCFD alignment for banks & insurance companies

Find fund managers that encourage the banks and insurance companies they invest in to publish climate change related financial information - as set out by the Task Force on Climate Related Financial Disclosures (with the aim of helping investors measure and respond to climate risk).

Encourage higher ESG standards through stewardship activity

A core element of these funds will aim to encourage higher ESG standards through responsible ownership / stewardship / engagement /voting activity

Impact Methodologies
Aims to generate positive impacts (or 'outcomes')

Funds that aim to help or support the delivery of positive social or environmental impacts (or societal/real world outcomes) by investing in companies they regard as beneficial to people and / or the planet. Strategies vary. See fund literature for further information.

Measures positive impacts

Funds that aim to measure the positive real world environmental and / or social benefits that are associated with their investment strategy. Funds that aim to deliver positive impacts and measure those impacts may be referred to as 'impact funds' - although impact measurement is not restricted to impact funds. Strategies vary. See fund information.

Positive environmental impact theme

Find funds that specifically set out to help deliver positive environmental impacts, benefits or 'real world' outcomes.

Positive social impact theme

Find funds that specifically state that they aim to deliver positive social (i.e. people related) impacts and/or outcomes.

Invests in environmental solutions companies

Find funds that direct investment towards companies where a major part of their business is about solving environmental challenges. e.g. companies helping to address climate change.

Aim to deliver positive impacts through engagement

Fund aims to deliver positive environmental and or social impacts (real world benefits) through its engagement with investee assets

How The Fund Works
Positive selection bias

Find funds that focus on finding and investing in companies with positive / beneficial attributes. This strategy can be applied in addition to exclusion criteria and engagement/stewardship activity.

Negative selection bias

Find funds where their main 'ethical approach' is to avoid companies by using negative screening criteria. Read fund literature for further information.

Strictly screened ethical fund

Find funds where their main approach is to apply positive or negative ethical, social and / or environmental screens. Strictly screened funds are likely to exclude more companies than other related fund options. See fund literature for further information.

ESG weighted / tilt

Find funds that invest more heavily in those that have higher ESG ratings/standards or scores and less heavily in companies with lower ESG ratings. Where this is central to a fund's strategy you should expect it to invest in most sectors. Strategies vary.

Assets mapped to SDGs

Find funds that have 'mapped' (reviewed) their investment selection and management strategies to identify which of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) the fund is helping to address.

SRI / ESG / Ethical policies explained on website

Find funds that have published explanations of their ethical, social and/or environmental policies online (i.e. fund decision making strategies/ buy/sell &/or asset management strategies).

Intended Clients & Product Options
Intended for investors interested in sustainability

Finds funds designed to meet the needs of individual investors with an interest in sustainability issues.

Intended for clients who want to have a positive impact

Finds funds designed to meet the needs of individual investors with an interest in ‘Impact investment funds’ which help or support the delivery of positive social or environmental impacts (or societal/real world outcomes) by investing in companies they regard as beneficial to people and / or the planet. Strategies vary. See fund literature for further information.

Faith friendly

Find funds that have attributes that commonly suit the aims of investors of faith - although they may not be specifically marketed as being only for religious investors. Strategies vary (as do investor aims). Read fund literature for further information.

Portfolio SRI / ESG options available (DFMs)

Only applicable for DFM’s & portfolio providers. Finds those that offer an SRI / ESG portfolio option

Multiple SRI / ESG portfolio options available (DFMs)

Only applicable for DFM’s & portfolio providers. Find service providers who offer multiple SRI / ESG portfolio options

Labels & Accreditations
SDR Labelled

Find funds that have chosen to adopt one of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) SDR labels. Please note: there are a range of reasons why potentially relevant funds may not use an SDR label eg. adopting a label may be work in progress, the manager may not yet be allowed to do so because of the product type, a manager may feel their fund is insufficiently aligned to SDR requirements. Read fund literature and / or our blogs for further information.

Fund Management Company Information

About The Business
Responsible ownership / stewardship policy or strategy (AFM company wide)

Finds fund management companies that have a published company wide stewardship, engagement and / or responsible ownership policy or strategy that covers all investments. Stewardship typically involves encouraging higher ESG standards through voting and dialogue.

ESG / SRI engagement (AFM company wide)

Find fund management companies that actively encourage higher 'environmental, social and governance' and/or 'sustainable and responsible investment' practices across investee companies - typically where the aim is to encourage positive change that is aligned with the best interests of investors. Strategies vary. See additional information and options.

Responsible ownership / ESG a key differentiator (AFM company wide)

Find fund managers that consider responsible ownership and ESG to be a key differentiator for their business.

Senior management KPIs include environmental goals (AFM company wide)

The leadership team of this asset manager have performance targets linked to environmental goals.

Responsible ownership policy for non SRI funds (AFM company wide)

Find funds run by fund managers that apply Responsible ownership or 'Stewardship' policies to all or most of their investment assets. This means active involvement (e.g. voting, dialogue) with the companies they invest in across funds (not normally limited to ethical or SRI options.) Read fund literature for further information.

Diversity, equality & inclusion engagement policy (AFM company wide)

Find fund management companies that encourage the companies they invest in to have strong diversity, race, gender and other equality policies across all assets held, not simply screened or themed SRI/ESG funds. (ie Asset Management company wide).

Collaborations & Affiliations
PRI signatory

Find fund management companies that have signed up to the UN backed 'Principles of Responsible Investment'.

Investment Association (IA) member

Fund management entity is a member of the Investment Association https://www.theia.org/

Resources
In-house responsible ownership / voting expertise

Find fund management companies that employ people to steer and support fund managers in voting shares at company AGM's and EGMs in ways that are consistent with encouraging higher ESG/sustainability standards.

Employ specialist ESG / SRI / sustainability researchers

Find a fund management company that directly employs specialist ESG/SRI/sustainability researchers or analysts. This allows asset managers to discuss environmental, social and governance risks and opportunities directly with companies.

Use specialist ESG / SRI / sustainability research companies

Find fund management companies that makes use of expert external research companies. This can help deliver specialist expertise and means resources are pooled with other investors.

ESG specialists on all investment desks (AFM company wide)

Finds organisations / fund managers that have one or more ESG/sustainability experts on all investment teams or 'desks' (all asset types)

Accreditations
PRI A+ rated (AFM company wide)

Finds organisations / fund managers that have an A+ PRI rating - meaning they are highly rated according to the 'Principles of Responsible Investment'

UK Stewardship Code signatory (AFM company wide)

Find fund managers that are signatories to the FRC UK Stewardship Code, which sets out a framework for constructive investor / investee relations where fund managers are encouraged to behave like responsible, typically longer term 'company owners'.

Engagement Approach
Regularly lead collaborative ESG initiatives (AFM company wide)

Find fund management companies that regularly initiate or run industry wide (collaborative) investor projects aimed at raising environmental, social and governance standards amongst investee companies.

Engaging on climate change issues

Fund manager has stewardship /responsible ownership strategy that is focused on addressing climate change with investee assets.

Engaging with fossil fuel companies on climate change

Asset manager has a stewardship /responsible ownership strategy that involves working with fossil fuel companies on climate change related issues. See fund manager website for details.

Engaging to encourage a Just Transition

Asset manager has a responsible ownership / stewardship strategy which means they are working to encourage the shift to more sustainable business practices in ways that respect and are sensitive to social issues and the impact change has on people effected by the changes that are taking place. https://www.transitionpathwayinitiative.org/ https://transitiontaskforce.net/

Engaging on labour / employment issues

Asset manager has responsible ownership / stewardship strategy in place that aims to improve labour standards for the benefit of employees in investee companies (and potentially their suppliers)

Company Wide Exclusions
Controversial weapons avoidance policy (AFM company wide)

Find fund management companies (not funds) that avoid investment in 'controversial weapons' across all of their funds and other investment vehicles.

Review(ing) carbon / fossil fuel exposure for all funds (AFM company wide)

Find funds / fund managers that are reviewing, or have reviewed, their exposure to carbon intensive industries including (but not only) mining, oil and gas companies. (Typically with reference to climate change.)

Climate & Net Zero Transition
Net Zero commitment (AFM company wide)

Fund management organisations that have pledged to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to ‘net zero’. Strategies vary - this area is changing rapidly.

Net Zero - have set a Net Zero target date (AFM company wide)

This asset management company has set a date by which they plan to achieve net zero greenhouse gas / CO2e emissions.

Encourage carbon / greenhouse gas reduction (AFM company wide)

Find fund management companies that are working with the companies they invest in to encourage reductions in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions.

Working towards a ‘Net Zero’ commitment (AFM company wide)

Finds organisations / fund management companies that are in the process of working out how to make a ‘net zero commitment’ - meaning that when that is finalised they will have started the process of reducing their total greenhouse gas emissions to'zero'.

Transparency
Full SRI / responsible ownership policy information on company website

Find companies that publish information about their sustainable and responsible investment strategies on their company website.

Full SRI / responsible ownership policy information available on request

Find fund management companies that will supply information about their sustainable and responsible investment activity on request.

Dialshifter statement

Find fund management companies that have supplied Dialshifter information. See Dialshifter tab within record for more information.

Sustainable, Responsible &/or ESG Policy:

Our intention is for the fund to have a positive impact on people and the planet. We will invest Avoiding harm through ESG integration and exclusions, Benefiting society through responsible business activities and Contributing to solutions through investing for impact. We will also use our influence to push for progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

We make the following commitments to:

Avoid harm:

  • screening policy excluding areas of significant social or environmental harm
  • integrate environmental, social and governance factors within the investment selection process, across all asset classes
  • support the Paris Agreement on Climate Change by reducing total portfolio emissions and by purchasing high quality carbon offsets

Benefit society:

  •  select global leaders in sustainability that promote social and economic development through responsible business activity

Contribute to solutions:

  • allocate capital to address environmental and social need through thematic and impact investments
  • manage, measure and report the impact of the Fund on people and the planet

Influence:

  • seek to influence companies, managers and policy makers through engagement and voting, to encourage businesses to make progress towards the SDGs
  • collaborate with others to maximise our influence

Carbon offsetting

To support our efforts to have a positive impact on the planet we offset the portfolio’s carbon emissions on a quarterly basis, based on scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions from the equities.

We work with social enterprise Ecologi, to buy carbon credits from environmental projects across the world, with a focus on reforestation and conservation of biodiverse forests. We will report on the environmental projects and their impact within our annual impact report. The cost of the projects will be paid for by the firm and no charge is passed to investors. Details of the carbon credits purchased and projects supported can be seen here.


Exclusions

The fund will not invest in companies which fail to meet the responsible investment criteria defined as companies involved in the following activities:

  • alcohol (>10% revenues)
  • armaments (>10% revenues)
  • fossil fuels: extraction, production and refining of coal, oil and gas (>10% revenues)
  • gambling (>10% revenues)
  • high interest rate lending (>10% revenues)
  • human embryonic cloning (>10% revenues)
  • indiscriminate weaponry (no tolerance)
  • pornography (>3% revenues)
  • tobacco (>10% revenues)


The exclusions policy reflects common concerns of charities. It will be reviewed regularly and may be amended as considered necessary.

To aid diversification we will incorporate the use of pooled funds and third-party managers. As screening policies may differ, we will select funds that currently exhibit no exposure to the above sectors and will continue to monitor the underlying holdings for compliance.

Measuring impact on people and planet

Further to incorporating ESG analysis into our investment selection and holding impact investments, we aim to quantify our approach on the planet and its people. This approach is designed to help trustees understand and demonstrate the impact of their investment portfolio to stakeholders, benchmarked against a global equity index.

We use our proprietary award-winning impact measurement tool, SustainEx, to measure these factors. The tool evaluates such metrics as a company’s tax contributions, the salaries they pay, levels of workforce diversity as well as other unpriced social burdens such as contribution to obesity, smoking or workplace discrimination to understand how positive or negative a company’s operations are. Alongside these measures, positive social benefits might include connectivity, innovation, financial inclusion or medical provisions.

 

 

Process:

The role of internal and external data sources

We have invested an extensive amount into ESG data collection. Our primary providers are MSCI, Sustainlytics and Refinitiv. We also source data from unique sources such as employee opinions on Glassdoor website and customer reviews from sites such as Trustpilot. We have a dedicated data insights team who coordinate deliverance of this data into our proprietary ESG tools. While this data is useful as part of our assessment, we strongly believe that in order to create a holistic view of the sustainability of an investment a manager must complete a qualitative assessment, supported by proprietary ESG tools and direct dialog with underlying investments.


Proprietary ESG tools

Our Sustainable Investment Team has developed a number of proprietary ESG tools to help our investment managers and analysts identify, understand and manage ESG risks and opportunities. CONTEXT and SustainEx, our flagship tools, are outlined below.

CONTEXT looks at logical and wide-ranging data to assess how a company’s relationship with its stakeholders (customers, suppliers, regulators, environment, employees, communities) and calculates a score for each company. The score will vary across investment strategies – CONTEXT is interactive and highly customisable, enabling analysts to select the most material ESG factors for each sector, weight their importance and apply relevant metrics. Analysts are then able to compare companies based on the metrics selected, their own company assessment scores or adjusted rankings (by size, sector or region). The unique features of the tool give analysts the flexibility to make company specific adjustments to reflect their specialist knowledge.

SustainEx is our award-winning impact measurement tool. It scientifically combines measures of both the harm companies can do and the good they can bring to arrive at an aggregate measure of each firm’s social and environmental impact, allowing investors to target their ESG investments effectively. It quantifies the extent to which companies are in credit or deficit with the societies to which they belong, and the risks they face if the costs they externalise are pushed into companies’ own costs.

 

Resources, Affiliations & Corporate Strategies:

We are committed to accelerating positive change, by allocating capital away from harmful businesses and towards those companies that contribute to solutions. Schroders has been named as one of the world’s most influential financial companies making a meaningful contribution to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (Source: World Benchmarking Alliance). Furthermore, we have been awarded A+ for the last six consecutive years by the UNPRI assessment. By partnering with us, you are able to make a real difference.

We benefit from the resources of the award-winning sustainability team of dedicated ESG specialists, who coordinate our engagement, voting and sector research. Using our influence for good is a priority for us. We recognise that companies play a critical role in society and are exposed to, and can influence, social and environmental change. We report on all engagement activities within our quarterly sustainability reports, including more detailed reports for clients. We also disclose our voting activity publicly, including details of votes against management. The reports are publicly available on our website.

Furthermore, we look to expand our influence across the investment industry and to engage with all asset managers in whose funds we invest. We have provided a snapshot of our activities and capabilities in this area.

Dialshifter

Our organisation is helping to support the Paris Climate Agreement and the Race to Net Zero by…

  • Working in partnership with asset owner clients on decarbonisation goals, consistent with an ambition to reach net zero emissions by 2050 or sooner across all assets under management;
  • Setting an interim target for the proportion of assets to be managed in line with the attainment of net zero emissions by 2050 or sooner; and
  • Reviewing our interim target at least every five years, with a goal of ratcheting up the proportion of assets covered until 100% are included, as efforts to structurally decarbonise economies play out.

SDR Labelling: Sustainability Focus label

Fund Name SRI Style SDR Labelling Product Region Asset Type Launch Date Last Amended

Schroder SUTL Cazenove Sustainable Growth Fund

Sustainability Tilt Sustainability Focus label OEIC Global Mixed Asset 13/01/2021 Jul 2023

Objectives

The fund aims to provide capital growth and income of CPI+4% (after fees have been deducted) over any five to seven year period by investing in a diversified range of assets and markets worldwide which meet the investment manager’s sustainability criteria. Please note that the target return is not guaranteed and your capital is at risk.

Fund Size: £690.38m

(as at: 31/12/2024)

ISIN: GB00BF782168, GB00BF782275, GB00BF782382, GB00BF782499

Contact Us: james.brennan@cazenovecapital.com

Sustainable, Responsible &/or ESG Overview

Fund manager declined to supply information (April 2024)

Fund last updated July 2023

 

The fund is a diversified portfolio of equities, bonds, alternatives and cash intending to deliver long-term growth ahead of inflation. It targets an attractive return of UK inflation (as measured by the Consumer Price Index) plus 4% per annum over any five-to-seven year period, investing in assets that meet the fund’s sustainable criteria and have positive impact on people and planet. Please note that the target return is not guaranteed. We measure and manage the impact created by the underlying investments. We also produce an annual impact report for the fund.

Primary fund last amended: Jul 2023

Information received directly from Fund Manager

Please select what you would like to read:

Fund Filters

Sustainability - General
Sustainability policy

Funds that have policies that consider (environmental and social) sustainability issues. Strategies vary but are likely to consider environmental issues like climate change, carbon emissions, biodiversity loss, resource management, environmental impacts; and social issues like equal opportunities, human rights, labour standards, diversity and adherence to internationally recognised codes. See fund information.

Sustainability theme or focus

Find funds where there is a significant emphasis on (environmental and social) sustainability. Funds with a 'sustainability theme' typically place more emphasis on the area than funds with a 'sustainability policy' - meaning that it is more likely to drive investment selection. Strategies vary. See fund information for further detail.

Environmental - General
Environmental policy

Funds that have policies which relate to environmental issues. These will typically set out the fund's stance on issues such as pollution, climate change, resource management, biodiversity loss, carbon emissions, plastics and/or additional environmental impacts. Strategies vary. See fund information for further information.

Limits exposure to carbon intensive industries

Funds that limit or 'reduce' their exposure to carbon intensive industries (ie sectors which are major contributors to climate change. Funds vary - some funds may be 'underweight' in this area which means they may have some investment in highly carbon intensive areas. Funds of this kind may choose companies they consider to be 'best in sector' and encourage ever higher standards. Strategies vary. See fund information for further details.

Resource efficiency policy or theme

Find funds that have a policy or theme that relates to managing natural resources more efficiently. Funds with this policy will be likely to favour companies that make (or enable the) more efficient use of resources - and either avoid or encourage change amongst companies with lower standards. Strategies vary. See fund information for further detail.

Favours cleaner, greener companies

Funds that aim to invest in companies with strong or market leading environmental policies and practices. Strategies vary - in particular the balance between 'financial' aspects and environmental benefits. Some may invest substantially in solutions or 'positive impact' companies - others may invest in more conventional companies providing certain environmental criteria are met. See fund information for further detail.

Plastics policy

Funds that are reviewing or encouraging companies to manage down the overuse of plastics (particularly single use, non-recyclable plastics). These funds will typically aim to encourage the use of alternative materials, but are unlikely to exclude companies purely on the basis of their use of plastics. Strategies vary. See fund information for further detail.

Nature & Biodiversity
Illegal deforestation exclusion policy

Find funds that have policies in place explaining that they avoid companies involved in illegal and/or unsustainable deforestation. This may relate to palm oil, cattle farming or other concerns. Strategies vary. See fund information for further detail.

Climate Change & Energy
Hydrogen policy or theme

Has a policy or theme which sets out the fund's position on investment in companies researching/developing hydrogen as an energy solutions

Fossil fuel exploration exclusion - direct involvement

The fund manager excludes companies with direct involvement in fossil fuel exploration (eg coal, oil and gas companies)

Fossil fuel exploration exclusion – indirect involvement

The fund manager excludes companies with indirect involvement in fossil fuel exploration. For example they would be expected to exclude banks and insurance companies that are effectively enabling new coal, oil and or gas reserves to be discovered and in due course extracted through the provision of necessary finance or services.

Paris aligned fund strategy

This fund has a strategy that aims ensure its holdings will gradually reduce their greenhouse gas emissions in line with targets set at COP21 in Paris. The ultimate aim is to achieve ‘net zero emissions by 2050’ and a ‘maximum global temperature increase of +1.5 to +2 degrees above preindustrial levels’. Strategies and opinions vary. Read fund information.

Social / Employment
Social policy

Find funds that have policies which set out their approach to social issues (e.g. human rights, labour standards, equal opportunities, child labour and adherence to internationally recognised codes such as the UN Global Compact). Funds with social policies typically avoid companies with low standards or work to encourage higher standards. See fund information for detail.

Labour standards policy

Find funds that have a labour standards policy - which can be expected to mean that the fund will invest in / favour companies that have higher standards in this area - although fund strategies can vary significantly (as with all policy areas). See eg https://www.ilo.org/international-labour-standards

Ethical Values Led Exclusions
Tobacco and related product manufacturers excluded

Companies are excluded if they are involved in any aspect of the production chain for tobacco products, including cigarettes, vaping, e-cigarettes, chewing tobacco and cigars.

Armaments manufacturers avoided

Find funds that avoid companies that manufacture products intended specifically for military use. Fund strategies vary - particularly with regard to non-strategic military products. See fund literature for fund specific details.

Civilian firearms production exclusion

Find funds with a written civilian firearms exclusion policy - meaning that they will not invest in companies that make (or perhaps also sell) handguns made for non-military users.

Alcohol production excluded

Find funds that avoid investment in companies involved in the production of alcohol. Strategies vary; some funds allow a small proportion of profits to come from this area. See fund literature for further information.

Gambling avoidance policy

Find funds that avoid companies with significant involvement in the gambling industry. Some funds may allow a small proportion of profits to come from this area. See fund policy for further details.

Pornography avoidance policy

Find funds that avoid companies that derive significant income from pornography and related areas. Strategies vary. See fund details for further information.

Animal welfare policy

Find funds with policies that require specific animal welfare standards to be met. These may reference well-known welfare standards (3Rs - Replace, Reduce, Refine) or certification schemes. Strategies vary. See fund information for further detail.

Human Rights
Human rights policy

Find funds that have policies relating to human rights issues. Funds of this kind typically require companies to demonstrate higher standards, although some fund managers work to encourage improvements. Investee companies are often judged against internationally agreed norms or standards. Strategies vary. See fund information for further detail.

Child labour exclusion

Find funds that have policies in place to ensure they do not invest in companies that employ children.

Responsible supply chain policy or theme

Find funds that have policies or a theme that relates to the responsible management of supply chains. These may relate to employment issues, notably people employed by their suppliers, as well as the sourcing of materials and products. See fund literature for further information.

Banking & Financials
Predatory lending exclusion

Fund excludes financial services companies with widely criticised, aggressive lending practices where interest rates are typically very high, includes ‘doorstep lending’)

Governance & Management
Governance policy

Find fund options that have policies that relate to corporate governance issues such as board structure, executive remuneration, bribery and/or corporate corruption. These funds will typically avoid companies with poor practices. Strategies vary. See fund literature for further information.

Avoids companies with poor governance

Find funds that aim to avoid investing in companies with poor governance practices.(e.g. board structure, management practices etc.) Views may however vary on what counts as 'poor' practices - and funds may not immediately divest as they may prefer to work to encourage higher standards. See fund literature for further information.

Anti-bribery and corruption policy

Find funds that have policies explaining how managers will respond to assets / companies that do not comply with relevant anti-bribery and anti-corruption standards or laws. Strategies vary; options include stewardship/ engagement and divestment - or a combination. See fund literature for further information.

Digital / cyber security policy

Find funds that have policies explaining how the fund managers take into account digital/cyber security related risks. Funds with cyber policies will typically favour companies with higher standards or that are helping to solve problems - but strategies vary. See fund literature for further information.

Encourage board diversity e.g. gender

Fund managers encourage the companies they invest in to have more diverse board structures (e.g. more women on boards)

Encourage TCFD alignment for banks & insurance companies

Find fund managers that encourage the banks and insurance companies they invest in to publish climate change related financial information - as set out by the Task Force on Climate Related Financial Disclosures (with the aim of helping investors measure and respond to climate risk).

Encourage higher ESG standards through stewardship activity

A core element of these funds will aim to encourage higher ESG standards through responsible ownership / stewardship / engagement /voting activity

Impact Methodologies
Aims to generate positive impacts (or 'outcomes')

Funds that aim to help or support the delivery of positive social or environmental impacts (or societal/real world outcomes) by investing in companies they regard as beneficial to people and / or the planet. Strategies vary. See fund literature for further information.

Measures positive impacts

Funds that aim to measure the positive real world environmental and / or social benefits that are associated with their investment strategy. Funds that aim to deliver positive impacts and measure those impacts may be referred to as 'impact funds' - although impact measurement is not restricted to impact funds. Strategies vary. See fund information.

Positive environmental impact theme

Find funds that specifically set out to help deliver positive environmental impacts, benefits or 'real world' outcomes.

Positive social impact theme

Find funds that specifically state that they aim to deliver positive social (i.e. people related) impacts and/or outcomes.

Invests in environmental solutions companies

Find funds that direct investment towards companies where a major part of their business is about solving environmental challenges. e.g. companies helping to address climate change.

Aim to deliver positive impacts through engagement

Fund aims to deliver positive environmental and or social impacts (real world benefits) through its engagement with investee assets

How The Fund Works
Positive selection bias

Find funds that focus on finding and investing in companies with positive / beneficial attributes. This strategy can be applied in addition to exclusion criteria and engagement/stewardship activity.

Negative selection bias

Find funds where their main 'ethical approach' is to avoid companies by using negative screening criteria. Read fund literature for further information.

Strictly screened ethical fund

Find funds where their main approach is to apply positive or negative ethical, social and / or environmental screens. Strictly screened funds are likely to exclude more companies than other related fund options. See fund literature for further information.

ESG weighted / tilt

Find funds that invest more heavily in those that have higher ESG ratings/standards or scores and less heavily in companies with lower ESG ratings. Where this is central to a fund's strategy you should expect it to invest in most sectors. Strategies vary.

Assets mapped to SDGs

Find funds that have 'mapped' (reviewed) their investment selection and management strategies to identify which of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) the fund is helping to address.

SRI / ESG / Ethical policies explained on website

Find funds that have published explanations of their ethical, social and/or environmental policies online (i.e. fund decision making strategies/ buy/sell &/or asset management strategies).

Intended Clients & Product Options
Intended for investors interested in sustainability

Finds funds designed to meet the needs of individual investors with an interest in sustainability issues.

Intended for clients who want to have a positive impact

Finds funds designed to meet the needs of individual investors with an interest in ‘Impact investment funds’ which help or support the delivery of positive social or environmental impacts (or societal/real world outcomes) by investing in companies they regard as beneficial to people and / or the planet. Strategies vary. See fund literature for further information.

Faith friendly

Find funds that have attributes that commonly suit the aims of investors of faith - although they may not be specifically marketed as being only for religious investors. Strategies vary (as do investor aims). Read fund literature for further information.

Portfolio SRI / ESG options available (DFMs)

Only applicable for DFM’s & portfolio providers. Finds those that offer an SRI / ESG portfolio option

Multiple SRI / ESG portfolio options available (DFMs)

Only applicable for DFM’s & portfolio providers. Find service providers who offer multiple SRI / ESG portfolio options

Labels & Accreditations
SDR Labelled

Find funds that have chosen to adopt one of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) SDR labels. Please note: there are a range of reasons why potentially relevant funds may not use an SDR label eg. adopting a label may be work in progress, the manager may not yet be allowed to do so because of the product type, a manager may feel their fund is insufficiently aligned to SDR requirements. Read fund literature and / or our blogs for further information.

Fund Management Company Information

About The Business
Responsible ownership / stewardship policy or strategy (AFM company wide)

Finds fund management companies that have a published company wide stewardship, engagement and / or responsible ownership policy or strategy that covers all investments. Stewardship typically involves encouraging higher ESG standards through voting and dialogue.

ESG / SRI engagement (AFM company wide)

Find fund management companies that actively encourage higher 'environmental, social and governance' and/or 'sustainable and responsible investment' practices across investee companies - typically where the aim is to encourage positive change that is aligned with the best interests of investors. Strategies vary. See additional information and options.

Responsible ownership / ESG a key differentiator (AFM company wide)

Find fund managers that consider responsible ownership and ESG to be a key differentiator for their business.

Senior management KPIs include environmental goals (AFM company wide)

The leadership team of this asset manager have performance targets linked to environmental goals.

Responsible ownership policy for non SRI funds (AFM company wide)

Find funds run by fund managers that apply Responsible ownership or 'Stewardship' policies to all or most of their investment assets. This means active involvement (e.g. voting, dialogue) with the companies they invest in across funds (not normally limited to ethical or SRI options.) Read fund literature for further information.

Diversity, equality & inclusion engagement policy (AFM company wide)

Find fund management companies that encourage the companies they invest in to have strong diversity, race, gender and other equality policies across all assets held, not simply screened or themed SRI/ESG funds. (ie Asset Management company wide).

Collaborations & Affiliations
PRI signatory

Find fund management companies that have signed up to the UN backed 'Principles of Responsible Investment'.

Investment Association (IA) member

Fund management entity is a member of the Investment Association https://www.theia.org/

Resources
In-house responsible ownership / voting expertise

Find fund management companies that employ people to steer and support fund managers in voting shares at company AGM's and EGMs in ways that are consistent with encouraging higher ESG/sustainability standards.

Employ specialist ESG / SRI / sustainability researchers

Find a fund management company that directly employs specialist ESG/SRI/sustainability researchers or analysts. This allows asset managers to discuss environmental, social and governance risks and opportunities directly with companies.

Use specialist ESG / SRI / sustainability research companies

Find fund management companies that makes use of expert external research companies. This can help deliver specialist expertise and means resources are pooled with other investors.

ESG specialists on all investment desks (AFM company wide)

Finds organisations / fund managers that have one or more ESG/sustainability experts on all investment teams or 'desks' (all asset types)

Accreditations
PRI A+ rated (AFM company wide)

Finds organisations / fund managers that have an A+ PRI rating - meaning they are highly rated according to the 'Principles of Responsible Investment'

UK Stewardship Code signatory (AFM company wide)

Find fund managers that are signatories to the FRC UK Stewardship Code, which sets out a framework for constructive investor / investee relations where fund managers are encouraged to behave like responsible, typically longer term 'company owners'.

Engagement Approach
Regularly lead collaborative ESG initiatives (AFM company wide)

Find fund management companies that regularly initiate or run industry wide (collaborative) investor projects aimed at raising environmental, social and governance standards amongst investee companies.

Engaging on climate change issues

Fund manager has stewardship /responsible ownership strategy that is focused on addressing climate change with investee assets.

Engaging with fossil fuel companies on climate change

Asset manager has a stewardship /responsible ownership strategy that involves working with fossil fuel companies on climate change related issues. See fund manager website for details.

Engaging to encourage a Just Transition

Asset manager has a responsible ownership / stewardship strategy which means they are working to encourage the shift to more sustainable business practices in ways that respect and are sensitive to social issues and the impact change has on people effected by the changes that are taking place. https://www.transitionpathwayinitiative.org/ https://transitiontaskforce.net/

Engaging on labour / employment issues

Asset manager has responsible ownership / stewardship strategy in place that aims to improve labour standards for the benefit of employees in investee companies (and potentially their suppliers)

Company Wide Exclusions
Controversial weapons avoidance policy (AFM company wide)

Find fund management companies (not funds) that avoid investment in 'controversial weapons' across all of their funds and other investment vehicles.

Review(ing) carbon / fossil fuel exposure for all funds (AFM company wide)

Find funds / fund managers that are reviewing, or have reviewed, their exposure to carbon intensive industries including (but not only) mining, oil and gas companies. (Typically with reference to climate change.)

Climate & Net Zero Transition
Net Zero commitment (AFM company wide)

Fund management organisations that have pledged to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to ‘net zero’. Strategies vary - this area is changing rapidly.

Net Zero - have set a Net Zero target date (AFM company wide)

This asset management company has set a date by which they plan to achieve net zero greenhouse gas / CO2e emissions.

Encourage carbon / greenhouse gas reduction (AFM company wide)

Find fund management companies that are working with the companies they invest in to encourage reductions in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions.

Working towards a ‘Net Zero’ commitment (AFM company wide)

Finds organisations / fund management companies that are in the process of working out how to make a ‘net zero commitment’ - meaning that when that is finalised they will have started the process of reducing their total greenhouse gas emissions to'zero'.

Transparency
Full SRI / responsible ownership policy information on company website

Find companies that publish information about their sustainable and responsible investment strategies on their company website.

Full SRI / responsible ownership policy information available on request

Find fund management companies that will supply information about their sustainable and responsible investment activity on request.

Dialshifter statement

Find fund management companies that have supplied Dialshifter information. See Dialshifter tab within record for more information.

Sustainable, Responsible &/or ESG Policy:

Our intention is for the fund to have a positive impact on people and the planet. We will invest Avoiding harm through ESG integration and exclusions, Benefiting society through responsible business activities and Contributing to solutions through investing for impact. We will also use our influence to push for progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

We make the following commitments to:

Avoid harm:

  • screening policy excluding areas of significant social or environmental harm
  • integrate environmental, social and governance factors within the investment selection process, across all asset classes
  • support the Paris Agreement on Climate Change by reducing total portfolio emissions and by purchasing high quality carbon offsets

Benefit society:

  •  select global leaders in sustainability that promote social and economic development through responsible business activity

Contribute to solutions:

  • allocate capital to address environmental and social need through thematic and impact investments
  • manage, measure and report the impact of the Fund on people and the planet

Influence:

  • seek to influence companies, managers and policy makers through engagement and voting, to encourage businesses to make progress towards the SDGs
  • collaborate with others to maximise our influence

Carbon offsetting

To support our efforts to have a positive impact on the planet we offset the portfolio’s carbon emissions on a quarterly basis, based on scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions from the equities.

We work with social enterprise Ecologi, to buy carbon credits from environmental projects across the world, with a focus on reforestation and conservation of biodiverse forests. We will report on the environmental projects and their impact within our annual impact report. The cost of the projects will be paid for by the firm and no charge is passed to investors. Details of the carbon credits purchased and projects supported can be seen here.


Exclusions

The fund will not invest in companies which fail to meet the responsible investment criteria defined as companies involved in the following activities:

  • alcohol (>10% revenues)
  • armaments (>10% revenues)
  • fossil fuels: extraction, production and refining of coal, oil and gas (>10% revenues)
  • gambling (>10% revenues)
  • high interest rate lending (>10% revenues)
  • human embryonic cloning (>10% revenues)
  • indiscriminate weaponry (no tolerance)
  • pornography (>3% revenues)
  • tobacco (>10% revenues)


The exclusions policy reflects common concerns of charities. It will be reviewed regularly and may be amended as considered necessary.

To aid diversification we will incorporate the use of pooled funds and third-party managers. As screening policies may differ, we will select funds that currently exhibit no exposure to the above sectors and will continue to monitor the underlying holdings for compliance.

Measuring impact on people and planet

Further to incorporating ESG analysis into our investment selection and holding impact investments, we aim to quantify our approach on the planet and its people. This approach is designed to help trustees understand and demonstrate the impact of their investment portfolio to stakeholders, benchmarked against a global equity index.

We use our proprietary award-winning impact measurement tool, SustainEx, to measure these factors. The tool evaluates such metrics as a company’s tax contributions, the salaries they pay, levels of workforce diversity as well as other unpriced social burdens such as contribution to obesity, smoking or workplace discrimination to understand how positive or negative a company’s operations are. Alongside these measures, positive social benefits might include connectivity, innovation, financial inclusion or medical provisions.

 

 

Process:

The role of internal and external data sources

We have invested an extensive amount into ESG data collection. Our primary providers are MSCI, Sustainlytics and Refinitiv. We also source data from unique sources such as employee opinions on Glassdoor website and customer reviews from sites such as Trustpilot. We have a dedicated data insights team who coordinate deliverance of this data into our proprietary ESG tools. While this data is useful as part of our assessment, we strongly believe that in order to create a holistic view of the sustainability of an investment a manager must complete a qualitative assessment, supported by proprietary ESG tools and direct dialog with underlying investments.


Proprietary ESG tools

Our Sustainable Investment Team has developed a number of proprietary ESG tools to help our investment managers and analysts identify, understand and manage ESG risks and opportunities. CONTEXT and SustainEx, our flagship tools, are outlined below.

CONTEXT looks at logical and wide-ranging data to assess how a company’s relationship with its stakeholders (customers, suppliers, regulators, environment, employees, communities) and calculates a score for each company. The score will vary across investment strategies – CONTEXT is interactive and highly customisable, enabling analysts to select the most material ESG factors for each sector, weight their importance and apply relevant metrics. Analysts are then able to compare companies based on the metrics selected, their own company assessment scores or adjusted rankings (by size, sector or region). The unique features of the tool give analysts the flexibility to make company specific adjustments to reflect their specialist knowledge.

SustainEx is our award-winning impact measurement tool. It scientifically combines measures of both the harm companies can do and the good they can bring to arrive at an aggregate measure of each firm’s social and environmental impact, allowing investors to target their ESG investments effectively. It quantifies the extent to which companies are in credit or deficit with the societies to which they belong, and the risks they face if the costs they externalise are pushed into companies’ own costs.

 

Resources, Affiliations & Corporate Strategies:

We are committed to accelerating positive change, by allocating capital away from harmful businesses and towards those companies that contribute to solutions. Schroders has been named as one of the world’s most influential financial companies making a meaningful contribution to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (Source: World Benchmarking Alliance). Furthermore, we have been awarded A+ for the last six consecutive years by the UNPRI assessment. By partnering with us, you are able to make a real difference.

We benefit from the resources of the award-winning sustainability team of dedicated ESG specialists, who coordinate our engagement, voting and sector research. Using our influence for good is a priority for us. We recognise that companies play a critical role in society and are exposed to, and can influence, social and environmental change. We report on all engagement activities within our quarterly sustainability reports, including more detailed reports for clients. We also disclose our voting activity publicly, including details of votes against management. The reports are publicly available on our website.

Furthermore, we look to expand our influence across the investment industry and to engage with all asset managers in whose funds we invest. We have provided a snapshot of our activities and capabilities in this area.

Dialshifter

Our organisation is helping to support the Paris Climate Agreement and the Race to Net Zero by…

  • Working in partnership with asset owner clients on decarbonisation goals, consistent with an ambition to reach net zero emissions by 2050 or sooner across all assets under management;
  • Setting an interim target for the proportion of assets to be managed in line with the attainment of net zero emissions by 2050 or sooner; and
  • Reviewing our interim target at least every five years, with a goal of ratcheting up the proportion of assets covered until 100% are included, as efforts to structurally decarbonise economies play out.

SDR Labelling: Sustainability Focus label