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What it means to be a responsible business
At a glance
- At SJP, we exist to give you the confidence to create the future you want. As well as providing expert face to face financial advice, we believe this also means having a positive impact on the world around us.
- Our ambition is to become a leading responsible business, and to leverage our size and scale as a force for good.
- We’re prioritising four key areas for positive action: investing responsibly, supporting our communities, helping to create financial wellbeing and tackling climate change.
When we’re advising our clients, we often talk about what they want their money to do for them. How they can use their money to create a world they believe in, based on their values, and their beliefs. Being a responsible business means much the same, but on a global scale. It means using our visibility and influence to help create a better future.
What does it mean to be a responsible business?
One of the roles of a responsible business is about using money as a force for good, as Sam Turner, Head of Responsible Investing at SJP explains: “We look after the investments of 950,000 people. We’re responsible for over £150 billion funds under management. We are one of the largest asset owners in the world. That not only gives us a voice, and a loud one, but it also comes with a responsibility to use that voice to drive positive change.”
At SJP, we have prioritised four ways that we can help create a greener, cleaner, fairer world for everyone:
1. Investing responsibly
2. Supporting our communities
3. Helping to create financial wellbeing
4. Tackling climate change.
Sending a clear message through investing responsibly
Investing responsibly isn’t just about doing the right thing. It involves understanding the future opportunities and risks, helping us make sure that your investments remain as resilient as possible in changing market conditions.
We expect all our fund managers to consider ESG risks and opportunities within their investment decision-making. All of our fund managers have signed up to the UN’s Principles for Responsible Investment.
The more clients we bring with us, the louder our voice becomes. Petra Deavall is our Responsible Investment Consultant: “A single client doesn’t have the time or access to influence company board agendas, direction, or objectives – but when we unite our clients, our fund managers, and their collective assets, companies listen.”
We believe responsible investing can drive positive change. You can read more about our real successes in changing corporate strategy at boardroom level in our Responsible Business brochure.
How SJP is acting on climate change
The climate emergency is one of the most urgent challenges we face. And it’s one where we can have a very direct positive impact.
At SJP, we’re counting down to carbon zero. We’ve pledged to be:
• Climate positive in our operations by 2025
• Net zero in our supply chain by 2035
• Net zero in our Partnership by 2035
• Net zero in our investments by 20501
You can’t fight climate change by halves. So our 2050 net zero commitment across the SJP Group is all encompassing – it includes our operations, supply chain, Partnership and investments2.
Even the small changes that we’ve made, such as adopting a zero waste to landfill policy, offering a paperless service to clients and using renewable electricity where we can in our offices, have made a big difference. Nearly one third of our clients have signed up for paperless correspondence3.
How SJP gives back to our communities
Giving back to the community is in our DNA at SJP. From our founding days we have looked beyond ourselves to make a difference in the communities where we live and work. We do this in two ways. Firstly, through the work of The St. James’s Place Charitable Foundation. For the past 30 years, The Foundation has supported charities and organisations helping young people, those facing mental health challenges, and those who would otherwise fall through the cracks in our society. To date, the Foundation has raised over £120 million4.
We also give back to our communities by sharing our time and skills, or fundraising on behalf of the Foundation and the charities it supports. The money we raise amongst ourselves is matched by SJP and distributed to over 800 charities in the UK and around the world. Sharing our skills too can have a profound effect on peoples’ lives. Our financial education outreach programmes mean children as young as 5 can learn about saving and budgeting. We believe this is one of the most important investments we can make for future generations.
Click here to find out more about the SJP Charitable Foundation.
How SJP supports financial wellbeing
We live in one of the most affluent societies on the planet. Yet 35% of us don’t feel financially resilient5. As one of the UK’s leading wealth providers, financial wellbeing is central to everything we do, and every piece of advice we give.
Our goal is to help as many people as possible achieve financial wellbeing. Our employees and Partners go out into local communities and schools, sharing money management skills for free. For us, it’s an essential life skill.
A sudden change in circumstances can have a lifechanging impact on your financial wellbeing, making you feel vulnerable. It could be a job loss, a bereavement, or a sudden change in your own health. We have made a particular commitment to helping people through times when they feel more vulnerable. To date, 100% of clients have said that they’re satisfied with our support when they’re facing difficult times6.
A responsible business is a successful business
We all share this planet, and we all share a responsibility to care for it, and each other.
Our ambition to be a leading UK responsible business is a long-term aspiration. We don’t claim to have all the answers, but we are committed to taking an active role, changing hearts and minds where we can, and bringing others with us on the journey. Working together, we can make the world a better place.
Like to know more about our commitment to being a responsible business? Download the full guide here or ask us about what we’re doing.
The value of an investment with St. James’s Place will be directly linked to the performance of the funds you select and the value can therefore go down as well as up. You may get back less than you invested.
Sources
1Our net zero investment commitment includes listed equities, fixed income and real estate assets. Rowan Dartington and specialist strategies are not included.
2Our net zero investment commitment includes listed equities, fixed income and real estate assets. Our Rowan Dartington and specialist strategies are not included.
32022 TCFD Report, St. James’s Place, 2022
4 SJP Annual Report and Accounts 2022
5Financial Health Index, St. James’s Place, November 2022 (Based on Opinium survey of 4,000 UK adults conducted between 17 and 21 October 2022)
6Vulnerability – Exploring the Client Perspective, SJP, November 2021, Ad Lucem (Based on interviews with 100 planners and 100 unique advisory firms)
SJP Approved 15/08/2023
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