Strengthening responsible business

The challenge

People’s trust in business is at an all-time low, so companies need to step up and show they’re acting responsibly and helping to create positive change.

How we can help

Societal challenges such as the Covid-19 pandemic and the climate crisis could lead to potentially catastrophic shocks for our wider world. We believe businesses, including Royal London, need to take more responsibility for reducing environmental and social risks.

We want to help strengthen society to create a better future for all. We’ve a proud history of leading the way for positive change and we’re committed to stakeholders beyond our customers. As a responsible investor, we use our investments to help better society and campaign for good corporate governance. We’re also focused on making our operations and supply chain more sustainable, working to support our local communities and building a diverse, inclusive and positive workplace for our people.

The responsible investment commitment

7 Determined to…

invest responsibly and encourage positive change in business

We’re a responsible investor, and a leading investor. We use our position as a force for good. We use our influence to encourage and challenge more businesses we invest in to act more responsibly, and work in collaboration with like-minded companies to push for positive change.

We're delivering on this commitment by:

Building on our track record of responsible investing
Using our voice for good by speaking up when we believe the companies we invest in could be doing better
Working with likeminded others to engage with the world’s largest corporate greenhouse emitters and encourage them to take necessary action on climate change

We're helping to prevent life shocks becoming a crisis by:

Helping to strengthen businesses through engagement, and voting to improve performance and mitigate ESG risk (e.g. climate change, financial and social inclusion, and diversity)

The environment and sustainability commitment

8 Determined to…

build sustainability into our operational estate and supply chain

We’ve a proud history of leading the way for positive change, and we’ve always been committed to doing the right thing. So we’re looking closely at how we can make our own offices, operations and supply chain more environmentally friendly and sustainable.

We're delivering on this commitment by:

Taking positive action, such as removing single-use plastic cups from our offices and shifting our electricity contracts to renewable energy where possible
Hiring a Group Environmental and Sustainability manager and creating an Environmental Improvement Plan that will support us in setting environmental targets
Launching an internal Environmental Champions Network to spearhead change initiatives

We're helping to prevent life shocks becoming a crisis by:

Working with our supply chain to collectively play our part in reducing the likelihood of catastrophic climate change, and minimising our impact on the environment, to reduce the risk of extreme weather events and other environmental shocks

The community commitment

9 Determined to…

help people prevent a life shock becoming a crisis

A life shock can have a big impact on our finances. For some people, these shocks lead to a crisis. That’s why we’re working with community partners to provide proactive help and immediate relief, as well as lasting support for those who are struggling. Our employees do a fantastic job of fundraising and volunteering to strengthen our communities and create a better future for all.

We're delivering on this commitment by:

Supporting our people to work with our communities through volunteering and fundraising, and supporting members to do the same through the Royal London Foundation
Launching our new flagship community programme, which will work with local and national partners to help promote resilience and rebuild lives
Creating a lasting impact, by helping our charity partners to become stronger organisations

We're helping to prevent life shocks becoming a crisis by:

Supporting vulnerable people through preventative measures to reduce the likelihood of shocks, and to cope with the financial and mental impacts of shocks when they do happen

The people commitment

10 Determined to…

create a meaningful, inclusive workplace for our people and their wellbeing.

We’re all in it together. That’s why it’s important for our people to feel included and valued. We acknowledge that everyone is different, and we treat them as individuals. Similarly, each of our employees has a unique contribution to make to our company. We do all we can to protect their wellbeing and help them grow.

We're delivering on this commitment by:

Giving our people a voice, providing supportive networks and supporting public initiatives such as the Time to Change campaign and the Women in Finance Charter
Introducing a range of initiatives to boost wellbeing for all of our employees
Listening to our people and measuring and monitoring our progress, so we can keep improving

We're helping to prevent life shocks becoming a crisis by:

Supporting our people through preventative measures to reduce the likelihood of shocks, and to cope with the financial and mental impacts of shocks when they do happen

Modern slavery statement

At Royal London, we're passionate about ensuring our business is conducted ethically.

View our modern slavery statement

Our community engagement programme

Our community programme focuses on financial vulnerability and resilience, an area where we think we can really make a difference.

See what we're doing to help

Preventing life shocks becoming a crisis

Shocks such as a bereavement, illness or job loss are unfortunately part of life. We’ve identified three key social problems that we want to focus on to help prevent life shocks becoming a crisis – building financial resilience, taking on the long-term savings challenge and strengthening responsible business.

Building financial resilience Taking on the long-term savings challenge