All social impact articles – Page 2

  • ESG spotlight
    News

    PLSA publishes ESG case studies, TPP excludes 150 companies

    2021-10-14T00:00:00Z

    ESG spotlight: A roundup of the latest news on environmental, social and governance initiatives, including the launch of practical case studies to help schemes achieve climate goals, and The People’s Pension divesting £226m from companies that failed to meet standards.  

  • Podcasts
    Podcasts

    Podcast: Schemes’ trustees cannot ignore social factors risks

    2021-10-13T00:00:00Z

    Podcast: Climate change and environmental issues are front of mind for many pension schemes right now, but with the Covid-19 pandemic highlighting social inequalities at home and abroad, the social aspects of ESG investment cannot be ignored. For this episode of the Pensions Expert podcast, we talk to Stefan Lundbergh, director at Cardano, and John Howchin, secretary-general of the Council on Ethics for Sweden’s national pension funds, about why socially aware investing is so important for pension funds of all sizes — and how trustees can go about taking action.

  • Fotoware
    News

    Adaption: How schemes can tackle climate and social issues together

    2021-10-13T00:00:00Z

    As the COP26 conference draws near, the summit’s theme of ‘adaptation’ has raised questions around how schemes can align their environmental and societal commitments to protect the planet’s ecology and communities.

  • Podcasts
    News

    Podcast: Mandating net zero could ‘cut straight through’ fiduciary duties

    2021-10-07T00:00:00Z

    Podcast: The government mandating default funds be aligned with ‘net zero’ would be a way around concerns about fiduciary responsibility, but there are questions about what this would mean in practice. Stuart O’Brien, partner at Sackers, and Gareth Stears, pensions technical consultant at Aries Insight, discuss environmental, social and governance issues, social housing, and the Pensions Regulator’s controversial criminal powers.

  • Sport England
    Features

    Complexities hamper social impact bonds’ true potential

    2021-09-14T00:00:00Z

    Despite the launch of the UK’s sovereign green bond dominating the socially conscious fixed income discourse, there is still room for social impact bonds in schemes’ portfolios.

  • Getty Images
    News

    Calls for climate reporting harmony as FCA and DWP rules diverge

    2021-09-13T00:00:00Z

    The Financial Conduct Authority’s climate-related disclosure rules for asset managers, life insurers and its regulated pension providers should be brought into line with Department for Work and Pensions regulations to give greater clarity and consistency, the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association has said.

  • Podcasts
    News

    Podcast: Too much jargon hampers sustainable investing drive

    2021-07-22T00:00:00Z

    Podcast: Politicians and the pensions industry risk jeopardising the progress made on sustainable investing because they are too fond of jargon. Members are keen to get involved, but they have to understand what they are getting involved in. Georgia Stewart, chief executive of Tumelo, and Chris Hulatt, co-founder of Octopus Group, talk sustainability, inter-generational fairness and cryptocurrencies.

  • Rolf Schulten/Bloomberg
    Features

    Is China the elephant in the ESG room?

    2021-07-16T00:00:00Z

    With demand for an environmental, social and governance focus in equity portfolios surging, institutional investors question whether China can deliver in the battle against climate change, with specialists pointing out the “huge potential” of engagement in these areas.

  • Bloomberg
    News

    Covid-19 spurs wave of interest in sustainable investing

    2021-07-06T00:00:00Z

    Almost two-thirds of European asset and investment managers believe that the pandemic has made sustainable investing more important, according to Schroders’ Institutional Investor Study 2021.

  • News on the go
    News

    Brunel’s Faith Ward wins environmental finance award

    2021-06-29T00:00:00Z

    On the go: Faith Ward, chief responsible investment officer at Brunel Pension Partnership, has been named environmental finance personality of the year by news and analysis service Environmental Finance for her work making Brunel a “sustainability leader”.

  • Bloomberg
    News

    Tapping DC schemes for growth fund raises industry concern

    2021-06-28T00:00:00Z

    Chancellor Rishi Sunak is reportedly hoping to draft defined contribution schemes into propping up the government’s proposed Long-Term Assets Fund, though experts have raised concerns about its practicality.

  • Bloomberg
    News

    Industry focus shifts toward the ‘S’ in ESG

    2021-06-18T00:00:00Z

    Three quarters of Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association members intend to review their social policy in the coming year, according to its response to the government’s consultation focusing on social risks and opportunities for occupational pension schemes.

  • Lauren Wilkinson
    Opinion

    Now is the time for schemes to turn attention to social risk factors

    2021-05-14T00:00:00Z

    From the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic to growing equality and human rights movements, the past year has brought many significant changes both in terms of behaviour and views relating to social factors. 

  • Podcasts
    Podcasts

    Podcast: Illiquids not necessarily the answer for DC

    2021-04-29T00:00:00Z

    Podcast: Illiquid asset classes might seem attractive in theory, but there would be difficulties establishing them in a defined contribution pension portfolio, even if all the regulatory burdens were removed. Brian Henderson, partner and director of consulting at Mercer, is joined by Shola Salako, professional trustee at Dalriada, to discuss alternatives, putting the S in ESG, and fixing the problems with chair’s statements.

  • News on the go
    News

    Engagement drives progress to ‘net-zero’

    2021-04-22T00:00:00Z

    On the go: Engagement has been key to embedding sustainability across investment strategies, and driving progress towards a “net-zero by 2050 target”, according to a new report from Kempen Capital Management.

  • Stephen Muers
    Opinion

    Schemes to pay more attention to social factors in ESG strategies

    2021-04-19T00:00:00Z

    It is now widely recognised that environmental, social and governance factors are an essential part of investment strategies for long-term investors such as pension funds.

  • DWP
    News

    Government calls for greater emphasis on social factors

    2021-03-24T00:00:00Z

    The government has called for a greater emphasis on the social element of pension schemes' environmental, social and governance strategies, as there is a concern trustees are ill-equipped to deal with these factors.

  • Podcasts

    Podcast: Uber decision poses challenges for master trust sector

    2021-03-18T00:00:00Z

    Podcast: For master trusts, onboarding gig economy workers who could be entitled to a pension following the Supreme Court’s Uber verdict is not as simple as it may sound. Hymans Robertson’s Patrick Bloomfield, partner, and senior DC investment consultant Victoria Panormo unpack the problem, in an episode also covering the Pensions Regulator’s draft criminal powers policy, and the Department for Work and Pensions’ climate risk consultation.

  • News

    PPF reveals 23% ethnicity pay gap

    2021-03-16T00:00:00Z

    On the go: The Pension Protection Fund has published its latest ‘Diversity pay gap report’, which reveals it has an ethnicity pay gap of 23 per cent.

  • News

    Asset managers bullish about renewable infrastructure returns

    2021-03-15T00:00:00Z

    On the go: Institutional investors’ appetite for renewable energy infrastructure remains strong, and asset managers have not reduced return expectations despite an increasingly competitive marketplace, according to a new report by Bfinance.