St. James’s Place, the wealth management group, has reached the significant milestone of seeing all its fund managers sign up to the United Nations-backed Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI)1, designed to align and promote global standards of responsible investment.



This means that, by the end of the year, St. James’s Place will have all of its fund houses as signatories to the PRI, a globally recognised body that encourages asset owners and managers to use responsible investment to better manage risks and seek opportunities, in the pursuit of long-term value in sustainable markets.



In January, St. James’s Place set a clear minimum standard to ensure all its 39 external fund managers were signatories of the PRI by the end of 2020.



Robert Gardner, Director of Investment Management at St. James’s Place, said: “We are passionate about helping our clients achieve financial wellbeing in a world worth living in. We joined the PRI to ensure our responsible investment beliefs are aligned with the global standard.



“With 100 per cent of our fund managers as signatories of the PRI, this is a strong signal of their commitment to integrating responsible investment into their decision-making and reporting. They invest over £118 billion of our clients’ assets across global markets. We believe it is crucial our fund managers embed the principles and standards set out by the PRI, as a minimum standard, to ensure they are investing in the long-term interests of our clients.



“The world is changing faster than anyone predicted. We believe responsible investing has a huge role to play in shaping a better world and building a sustainable future. Our savings don’t have to jeopardise the future. How people invest can shape a future that protects the world we inherited, rather than endanger it.”

 

1 The six Principles for Responsible Investment are a voluntary and aspirational set of investment principles that offer a menu of possible actions for incorporating Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues into investment practice.They include:

  • Principle 1: We will incorporate ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes.
  • Principle 2: We will be active owners and incorporate ESG issues into our ownership policies and practices.
  • Principle 3: We will seek appropriate disclosure on ESG issues by the entities in which we invest.
  • Principle 4: We will promote acceptance and implementation of the Principles within the investment industry.
  • Principle 5: We will work together to enhance our effectiveness in implementing the Principles.
  • Principle 6: We will each report on our activities and progress towards implementing the Principles.

More information about the UN PRI can be found here.