Category: DC

ESG in DC Pensions Report

In recent years responsible investment strategies and the integration of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors in the investment process have moved from a niche concern to the mainstream. In the last 12 months ESG and responsible investing have shot to the top of the agenda for pension professionals, driven by a combination of regulatory pressure, increased consumer awareness, reputation management concerns and the Covid pandemic. Greater public awareness of the relationship between investments and their impact on climate change has turbocharged this process.

There is a growing consensus that the global financial industry has a major role to play in helping the transition towards a low carbon economy to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees and preferably 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels, as set out in the Paris Agreement.
Within the UK’s financial sector, DC pensions have a major part to play in helping meet the Paris targets. Auto-enrolment has placed defined contribution (DC) pensions at the heart of retirement provision in the UK. The eight biggest FCA-regulated workplace pension providers alone already hold over £360bn in DC assets, while TPR-regulated master trusts are adding tens of billions in DC assets every year

 

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