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We are committed to integrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues into our investment process and using our influence to promote best practice. We believe that well-managed companies who take these issues seriously will perform better over the long-term. Here we focus on how we express our commitment and how we promote high standards.
Expressing our commitment
We believe we have a responsibility to highlight how we think about responsible investment. We were one of the first fund managers to publish policies on corporate governance and socially responsible investment (SRI).
These express our commitment to take company policies and practices on ESG issues into consideration in our investment process – an approach that is widely viewed as the key driver for improved corporate practice. Our Group’s UK and Canadian life and pensions business have also adopted SRI policies.
To further demonstrate our approach to shareholder responsibility, Standard Life is a signatory to the UN Principles for Responsible Investment, which provides a framework for investors to give consideration to ESG issues.
Promoting high standards
Our Corporate Governance team encourages the companies we invest in to comply with UK and international codes of corporate governance and to demonstrate that they are managing their social and environmental impacts effectively. We vote at every company meeting in the UK and Ireland where we have a shareholding and publish our voting record on our website.
We engage with public bodies in the UK and overseas on important corporate governance issues. For example, in 2007 we commented on the European Commission Consultation on the Simplification of European Union Company Law and Accounting and Audit Regulation – and provided input to the Financial Reporting Council’s Discussion Paper on promoting audit quality.
We also take part in joint initiatives to promote high standards in corporate governance and responsibility. We are members of the International Corporate Governance Network, the European Corporate Governance Network, the UK Social Investment Forum and Eurosif. And we are signatories to the Carbon Disclosure Project and the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.
Company engagement
Issues we discussed in company engagement included:
- Board composition
- Remuneration
- Strategy
- Climate change
- Environmental risk management
- Health and safety
- Employee issues
- Human rights
Current policies- Socially Responsible Investment policy - L&P UK & Europe - Canada - Investments - see Standard Life Investments (Download PDF from SLI website). |
To further express our ongoing commitment to being an active and responsible investor, Standard Life has signed up to the UN Principles for Responsible Investment.
The UN Principles were launched in April 2006 by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. They provide a framework that helps investors to incorporate Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues into their investment activities.
The aim of the Principles is to help integrate consideration of ESG issues into investment decision-making and ownership practices, and thereby improve long-term returns to beneficiaries.