Royal London Global Sustainable Credit Fund
SRI Style:
Sustainable Style
SDR Labelling:
Not eligible to use label (out of scope)
Product:
SICAV/Overseas
Fund Region:
Global
Fund Asset Type:
Fixed Interest
Launch Date:
10/03/2021
Last Amended:
Jun 2026
Dialshifter (
):
Fund/Portfolio Size:
£418.65m
(as at: 31/03/2026)
Total Screened Themed SRI Assets:
£80000.00m
(as at: 31/03/2026)
Total Responsible Ownership Assets:
£197940.00m
(as at: 31/03/2026)
Total Assets Under Management:
£197940.00m
(as at: 31/03/2026)
ISIN:
IE00BN783T77, IE00BN783V99
Contact Us:
Objectives:
The Fund focuses on the sustainability of the products and services of the companies it invests in, as well as their standards of environmental, social, governance (“ESG”) management, alongside financial analysis. The investment approach is fundamentally based on positive screening; identifying companies that are making a positive contribution towards a cleaner, healthier, safer and more inclusive society, through assessing both what a company does and how it does it, and through active engagement to encourage continual improvement. The fund will not invest in companies that undertake business activities deemed to be detrimental to society and that breach our Do No Significant Harm principle. Further details of the Funds' Sustainable Investment process can be found in the ethical and sustainable investment policy here.
Sustainable, Responsible
&/or ESG Overview:
We believe that owners and managers of capital can be a catalyst for positive social and environmental change. They can do this in two ways. By investing in sustainable companies that are helping to solve the world’s social and environmental challenges, and through active engagement to encourage continual improvement.
We focus on innovative, sustainable businesses—those with strong management, durable competitive advantages, and a clear commitment to positive societal outcomes.
The sustainable fund range’s sustainability objective is to invest in companies that make a positive contribution to one of four ‘Sustainability Themes’. This positive contribution of a company is assessed through the products and services it provides and through its operations; how a company looks after its operational assets, the environment, its stakeholders and the role it plays within its industry.
Primary fund last amended:
Jun 2026
Information directly from fund manager.
Fund Filters
Sustainability - General
Has policies that consider (environmental and social) sustainability issues. Strategies vary but are likely to consider environmental issues like climate change, carbon emissions, biodiversity loss, resource management, environmental impacts; and social issues like equal opportunities, human rights, labour standards, diversity and adherence to internationally recognised codes. See individual entry information.
Has a significant focus on sustainability issues
Has documented policies or thematic investment approaches supporting investment in more sustainable, greener transport methods. These will typically set out a preference for companies that run, enable or support more sustainable methods of transport.
Aim to encourage higher sustainability standards through responsible ownership / stewardship / engagement / voting activity
Use the UN Global Compact to inform or help direct where they can or cannot invest. Will typically not invest in companies with significant breaches (low standards) - strategies vary. (The UNGC covers a wide range of issues - search 'UNGC'). See https://unglobalcompact.org/
Has a theme or investment strand focused on the shift to a circular economy - where products are reused and recycled not incinerated or dumped. See eg https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/topics/circular-economy-introduction/overview
Environmental - General
Has policies which relate to environmental issues. These will typically set out their stance on issues such as pollution, climate change, resource management, biodiversity loss, carbon emissions, plastics and/or additional environmental impacts. Strategies vary.
Options that limit or 'reduce' their exposure to carbon intensive industries (ie sectors which are major contributors to climate change). Strategies vary.
Has documented policies explaining the approach to environmental damage and pollution. Strategies vary.
Aims to invest in companies with strong or market leading environmental policies and practices. Strategies vary. See individual entry information for more detail.
Climate Change & Energy
Avoid investment in major coal, oil and/or gas (extraction) companies. Strategies vary.
Avoid companies involved in fracking and tar sands - which are widely regarded as controversial methods of oil and gas extraction. Strategies vary.
Avoid companies that are involved in extracting oil from the Arctic regions.
Avoid investing in companies / assets with coal, oil and gas reserves. See individual entry information for further details.
Invest (or may invest) in clean / renewable energy companies and other assets. The proportion directly or indirectly invested in renewable energy may vary over time.
Encourage the transition to lower carbon activities through asset selection and / or responsible ownership activity.
Has an energy efficiency theme - typically meaning that the manager is focused on investing in organisations that manage - or help others to manage - energy use more carefully and less wastefully - and so reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Invest in renewable energy companies and / or companies where renewable energy is a significant part of their business. Strategies vary.
Has a policy which describes the avoidance or limited investment in the nuclear industry. Strategies vary.
Excludes companies and other assets with direct involvement in fossil fuel exploration (eg coal, oil and gas companies)
Social / Employment
Has policies which set out their approach to social issues (e.g. human rights, labour standards, equal opportunities, child labour and/or adherence to internationally recognised codes such as the UN Global Compact). Strategies with social policies typically avoid companies with low standards and/or work to encourage higher standards. See fund information for detail.
Ethical Values Led Exclusions
Has policies that set out their position on ethical or 'personal values' based issues. Strategies vary.
Companies are excluded if they are involved in any aspect of the production chain for tobacco products, including cigarettes, vaping, e-cigarettes, chewing tobacco and cigars.
Excludes companies which make controversial weapons such as landmines, cluster munitions and chemical weapons.
Avoids companies that manufacture weapons intended specifically for military use. Strategies vary - may or may not include non-strategic military products.
Does Not exclude manufacturers of products intended for use in armaments and weapons. So may invest in them
Has a written civilian firearms exclusion policy - meaning that they will not invest in companies that make (or perhaps also sell) handguns made for non-military users.
Avoids companies with significant involvement in the gambling industry. Some may allow a small proportion of revenues to come from this area.
Avoids companies that derive significant income from pornography and related areas. Strategies vary.
Has policies that require specific animal welfare standards to be met. These may reference well-known welfare standards (3Rs - Replace, Reduce, Refine) or certification schemes. Strategies vary.
Avoids companies that test their products on animals. Strategies may vary, eg where testing is required by law.
Meeting Peoples' Basic Needs
Have investments in social housing or similar assets.
Healthcare and or medical theme or area of investment - may have a single or many themes
Gilts & Sovereigns
Invest in loans issued the government, commonly known as gilts or government bonds. These may or may not be ringfenced for specific projects (see additional options).
Invests in financial instruments issued by governments, typically for risk reasons, but do not screen them for environmental and social characteristics.
Banking & Financials
Can include banks as part of their holdings / portfolio.
Invests in financial instruments (cash, derivatives and / or foreign exchange) issued by banks. Strategies vary.
May invest in insurance companies.
Governance & Management
Has policies that relate to corporate governance issues such as board structure, executive remuneration, bribery and/or corporate corruption. These funds will typically avoid companies with poor practices. Strategies vary.
Avoids investing in companies with poor governance practices.(e.g. board structure, management practices etc.) Views may however vary on what counts as 'poor' practices - and funds may not immediately divest as they may prefer to work to encourage higher standards.
Encourage the companies they invest in to have more diverse board structures (e.g. more women on boards)
Aim to encourage higher ESG standards through responsible ownership / stewardship / engagement /voting activity
Product / Service Governance
Find fund / asset managers that factor in 'environmental, social and governance' issues as part of their investment decision making process. A focus on 'ESG' typically means a fund is carrying out additional research to help reduce ESG related risks. It does not necessarily mean a focus on sustainability. Strategies vary. See fund literature.
Asset Size
Invests in international entities or bodies with agreed remits that are broadly similar to those that may otherwise be undertaken by individual governments eg the UN
Impact Methodologies
Has policies that aim to help or support the delivery of positive social or environmental impacts (or societal/real world outcomes) by investing in companies they regard as beneficial to people and / or the planet. Strategies vary.
How The Fund/Portfolio Works
Focuses on finding and investing in companies with positive / beneficial attributes. This strategy can be applied in addition to exclusion criteria and engagement/stewardship activity.
Aims to avoid companies that do significant harm. This originates from the EU’s sustainable finance ‘DNSH’ (do no significant harm) work, which is not necessarily used by UK investors.
Invests in assets which have an ESG strategy (which is typically focused on avoiding companies that pose environmental, social or governance related risks) together with additional criteria such as positive and/or negative screens, themes and stewardship strategies.
Considers both the 'positive' and 'negative' aspects of company behaviour and makes balanced, considered decisions as part of their investment approach. May apply to a range of different issues and policy areas.
Focuses on the careful management of environmental, social and governance (ESG) related risks - typically by avoiding or being underweight in companies seen as posing major risks in these areas (i.e. not necessarily by using themes, exclusions etc).
Publish explanations of their ethical, social and/or environmental policies online (i.e. investment decision making strategies/ buy/sell &/or asset management strategies).
Does not use stock lending for performance or risk purposes.
Unscreened Assets & Cash
Holds between 70-79% of assets which align to the sustainability objectives; which are not being held purely for risk management purposes, such as derivatives and cash equivalent assets.
Holds between 80-89% of assets which align to the sustainability objectives; which are not being held purely for risk management purposes, such as derivatives and cash equivalent assets.
Holds at least 90% of assets which align to the sustainability objectives; which are not being held purely for risk management purposes, such as derivatives and cash equivalent assets.
All assets - except cash - meet the sustainability criteria published in strategy documentation.
Intended Clients & Product Options
Designed to meet the needs of individual investors with an interest in sustainability issues.
Available via a tax efficient ISA product wrapper.
Labels & Accreditations
Find options classified under Article 9 of the EU’s SFDR (Sustainable Finance Disclosure Requirements). Article 9 of the SFDR applies to financial products that have sustainable investment 'objectives' - including emissions reduction objectives. (These may currently be referred to as 'impact' funds or aiming to deliver clear, specific positive outcomes.) These rules do not currently apply in the UK so product managers may leave this field blank.
A voluntary corporate culture standard for investment managers, see https://www.investorsact.com/ - City Hive
Fund Management Company Information
About The Business
Finds fund / asset management companies that have a published company wide stewardship, engagement and / or responsible ownership policy or strategy that covers all investments. Stewardship typically involves encouraging higher ESG standards through voting and dialogue.
Find fund / asset management companies that actively encourage higher 'environmental, social and governance' and / or 'sustainable and responsible investment' practices across investee companies - typically where the aim is to encourage positive change that is aligned with the best interests of investors. Strategies vary. See additional information and options.
Find fund / asset managers that vote all* the shares they own at Annual General Meetings and Extraordinary General Meetings. A commitment to voting shares is a key indicator of 'responsible share ownership' demonstrating their support for or disagreement with management policy. (*situations can legitimately, occasionally occur where voting proves impossible, but in principle all shares should be voted.)
Find fund / asset managers that consider responsible ownership and ESG to be a key differentiator for their business.
Find fund / asset management companies that take sustainability criteria into account when selecting and/or managing all of their property / real estate investments.
Find fund / asset management companies that consider environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues when deciding whether or not to invest in a company for all / almost all of their funds and other assets. This is increasingly seen as part of sound risk management.
Finds organisations / fund managers that have an in-house (company wide) diversity improvement programme - meaning that they are working to ensure that within their own businesses they employ people from diverse backgrounds - often typically focused on ethnicity and/or sex.
This fund / asset management company invests in companies which have recently listed on a stock exchange (which is important as it can help grow new businesses).
Fund / asset management company has investments in bonds designed to meet sustainability requirements - however these assets may not be 'ringfenced' for this purpose. See website for details.
Collaborations & Affiliations
Find fund / asset management companies that have signed up to the UN backed 'Principles of Responsible Investment'.
Find fund / asset management companies that are members of UKSIF - the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance association
Find fund / asset management companies that have partnered with Fund EcoMarket - meaning that they are helping to improve access to information on sustainable and responsible investment by paying an annual fee to us which enables us to publish information for free. Partner funds are listed ahead of other funds and have their logos displayed.
Fund management entity is a member of the Investment Association https://www.theia.org/
Resources
Find fund / asset management companies that employ people to steer and support fund managers in voting shares at company AGM's and EGMs in ways that are consistent with encouraging higher ESG/sustainability standards.
Find a fund / asset management company that directly employs specialist ESG/SRI/sustainability researchers or analysts. This allows asset managers to discuss environmental, social and governance risks and opportunities directly with companies.
Find fund / asset management companies that makes use of expert external research companies. This can help deliver specialist expertise and means resources are pooled with other investors.
Accreditations
Find fund / asset managers that are signatories to the FRC UK Stewardship Code, which sets out a framework for constructive investor / investee relations where managers are encouraged to behave like responsible, typically longer term 'company owners'.
Engagement Approach
Find fund / asset management companies that regularly initiate or run industry wide (collaborative) investor projects aimed at raising environmental, social and governance standards amongst investee companies.
Fund / asset manager has stewardship /responsible ownership strategy that is focused on addressing climate change with investee assets.
Fund / asset manager has a stewardship /responsible ownership strategy that involves working with fossil fuel companies on climate change related issues. See fund manager website for details.
Fund / asset manager has a stewardship / responsible ownership policy that means they are working to encourage more responsible mining practices - where environmental and social issues are properly dealt with by the companies they invest in.
The fund / asset manager has a responsible ownership / stewardship strategy that focuses on biodiversity and nature issues relating to the assets they invest the aim of which will be to reduce harm and or deliver improvement. Strategies vary. https://tnfd.global
Fund / asset manager has a responsible ownership / stewardship strategy which means they are working to encourage the shift to more sustainable business practices in ways that respect and are sensitive to social issues and the impact change has on people effected by the changes that are taking place. https://www.transitionpathwayinitiative.org/ https://transitiontaskforce.net/
Fund / asset manager has responsible ownership / stewardship strategy in place which aims to address human rights issues in investee companies (and potentially their suppliers) with the aim of raising standards
Fund / asset manager has responsible ownership / stewardship strategy in place that aims to improve labour standards for the benefit of employees in investee companies (and potentially their suppliers)
Fund / asset management company has a stewardship strategy in place which involves working to raise diversity, equality and inclusion standards across investee assets
Fund / asset manager is working with the assets they hold to help stamp out modern slavery - where direct or indirect company employees are exploited for business benefits.
Fund / asset managers have stewardship strategies in place that focus on improving governance standards across investee assets
Fund / asset manager has stewardship strategy in place which involves discussing mental health issues with investee companies - with the aim of raising standards
Has a stewardship / responsible ownership strategy that encourages responsible supply chain - ie the managers will discuss environmental, social and governance issues with investee companies with the aim of raising standards
Working to address sustainability, ESG and related concerns around artificial intelligence.
This fund / asset manager may vote differently for different clients or regions. See fund manager stewardship policy for further information.
Escalation policies describe how a manager will proceed if stewardship / engagement activity is not successful in the short term.
Company Wide Exclusions
Find fund / asset management companies (not funds) that avoid investment in 'controversial weapons' across all of their funds and other investment vehicles.
Find funds / asset managers that are reviewing, or have reviewed, their exposure to carbon intensive industries including (but not only) mining, oil and gas companies. (Typically with reference to climate change.)
Climate & Net Zero Transition
Fund / asset management organisations that have pledged to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to ‘net zero’. Strategies vary - this area is changing rapidly.
Fund / asset manager AGM / EGM voting strategy has processes in place that mean they will normally be expected to vote in a way that will encourage the transition to net zero greenhouse gas emissions.
Find fund / asset management companies that have published a Climate Risk policy or statement that is signed / owned by their Chief Executive.
This fund / asset management company has set a date by which they plan to achieve net zero greenhouse gas / CO2e emissions.
Find fund / asset management companies that are working with the companies they invest in to encourage reductions in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions.
Finds organisations / fund managers that have published ‘forward looking climate metrics’ e.g. 'implied temperature rise' data that are a total of the asset management company's share (% owned) of all the investee company emissions of the assets they manage, as well as their own direct and other indirect emissions.
This fund / asset management company plans to achieve net zero greenhouse gas (CO2e) emissions by reducing their emissions. Calculations and scope vary.
Finds organisations / fund management companies that are in the process of working out how to make a ‘net zero commitment’ - meaning that when that is finalised they will have started the process of reducing their total greenhouse gas emissions to 'zero'.
Transparency
Find fund / asset management companies that publish a report detailing their responsible investment ownership - also known as 'Stewardship' - activity.
Find fund / asset management companies that publish information about their sustainable and responsible investment strategies on their company website.
Find fund / asset management companies that will supply information about their sustainable and responsible investment activity on request.
Fund / asset management companies that publish a full record of how they vote their shares at AGMs (annual general meetings) and EGMs (extraordinary general meetings). Voting strategies have an important role to play encouraging higher environmental, social and governance standards.
Find fund / asset management companies that have supplied Dialshifter information. See Dialshifter tab within record for more information.
Comments
Please note:
- Coal, oil & / or gas majors excluded - Avoid investing in fossil fuel extraction, power generation, and services. Avoid companies in sectors with extremely high environmental impacts unless there are strong mitigating factors.
- Fracking & tar sands excluded - Avoid investing in fossil fuel extraction, power generation, and services. Avoid companies in sectors with extremely high environmental impacts unless there are strong mitigating factors.
- Arctic drilling exclusion - Avoid investing in fossil fuel extraction, power generation, and services. Avoid companies in sectors with extremely high environmental impacts unless there are strong mitigating factors.
- Fossil fuels exclusion policy - Avoid investing in fossil fuel extraction, power generation, and services. Avoid companies in sectors with extremely high environmental impacts unless there are strong mitigating factors.
- Assets typically aligned to objectives > 90% - All assets in our sustainable funds are subject to an initial screen.
- Use stock / securities lending - All UK domiciled funds covered in the submission are able to lend securities as per the relevant prospectuses.
Sustainable, Responsible &/or ESG Policy:
The Sustainable Team Investment Process is fundamentally based on positive screening; looking for companies providing a net benefit for society through their products and services (the “what”) and/or demonstrating leading sustainable practices in the way they operate (the “how”).
While the investment process is fundamentally based on positive screening, the team has also developed avoidance criteria (negative screening) to ensure the investments are compatible with the Sustainable objective of the portfolios and meet the Do No Significant Harm principle.
As such, the Sustainable Investment Team will not invest in any company that is or is likely to breach the UN Global Compact 10 Principles [1] or any company that fails or is likely to fail to satisfactorily mitigate its negative environmental or social impact (e.g. fossil fuel extraction).
Specifically, for companies operating in the fossil fuel and mining industries, the team is committed to support the transition to a more sustainable society and has divided ‘fossil fuels’ into extraction, power generation and services and has the following policy for companies involved in:
- Extraction – not to invest in oil and gas or coal mining companies due to their high environmental impact and contribution to climate change
- Power generation – are deemed investable if companies have material exposure to renewable energy and a demonstrable commitment to evolve away from gas and coal
- Services – are deemed investable if those companies providing services to extractive industries make them safer and materially improve their environmental impact.
In addition, the sustainable investment team avoids investments in companies involved or likely to be involved in
- Armament manufacturing
- Tobacco production
- Nuclear Power Generation
- Animal testing for anything other than human or animal health purposes
- Pornography
- Sale of animal fur products
- Irresponsible gambling
- Irresponsible drinking
Process:
Overview
The integration of sustainability factors into investment decisions requires significant expertise and resource. We believe it is also best done internally, allowing us to consider and challenge the specifics of sustainable investment rather than over-elevating generalities. This approach enhancing both decision making and investment flexibility. We supplement our internal expertise with a high quality External Advisory Committee, which provides independent challenge and insight and ensures we implement our principles in a dynamic and fast-changing world.
It is a process that is inherently flexible, capable of meeting client needs on both a segregated and a pooled basis. The process has a clear identity, both in the way it selects holdings and in the way it builds portfolios.
Measure/Identify
The benchmark for the strategy has approximately 2300 issuers. We do not confine ourselves to index constituents and will also consider bonds with an issue size below the threshold for benchmark inclusion and those without a credit rating or below investment grade, as long as the sustainability and return credentials are appropriate.
Initial research is undertaken by the sustainable analysts, who work closely with the credit team in order to identify socially positive industries and sectors. A number of bespoke and external systems are used to identify the sustainable issues that could plausibly affect our outlook on a sector, or help distinguish securities with lower risk. We use external data from MSCI and Bloomberg as appropriate to supplement our research effort and enable the teams to focus their primary analysis and financial modelling on lower profile corporate bonds which we consider to be less extensively researched by the wider market.
Avoidance Criteria and Do No Significant Harm
The Sustainable Team Investment Process is fundamentally based on positive screening; looking for companies providing a net benefit for society through their products and services (the “what”) and/or demonstrating leading sustainable practices in the way they operate (the “how”).
While the investment process is fundamentally based on positive screening, the team has also developed avoidance criteria (negative screening) to ensure the investments are compatible with the Sustainable objective of the portfolios and meet the Do No Significant Harm principle.
As such, the Sustainable Investment Team will not invest in any company that is or is likely to breach the UN Global Compact 10 Principles [2] or any company that fails or is likely to fail to satisfactorily mitigate its negative environmental or social impact (e.g. fossil fuel extraction).
Specifically, for companies operating in the fossil fuel and mining industries, the team is committed to support the transition to a more sustainable society and has divided ‘fossil fuels’ into extraction, power generation and services and has the following policy for companies involved in:
- Extraction – not to invest in oil and gas or coal mining companies due to their high environmental impact and contribution to climate change
- Power generation – are deemed investable if companies have material exposure to renewable energy and a demonstrable commitment to evolve away from gas and coal
- Services – are deemed investable if those companies providing services to extractive industries make them safer and materially improve their environmental impact.
In addition, the sustainable investment team avoids investments in companies involved or likely to be involved in
- Armament manufacturing
- Tobacco production
- Nuclear Power Generation
- Animal testing for anything other than human or animal health purposes
- Pornography
- Sale of animal fur products
- Irresponsible gambling
- Irresponsible drinking
Our screening process will look at a wide variety of internally generated and external provided data. As well as the exclusions detailed above we will considered MSCI ratings, carbon footprint, on-going controversies associated with a company and currency of issue (we exclude bonds issued in “soft” currencies- our main focus is on US Doller, Euro, Norwegian Krone and sterling). These processes reduce the universe of potential investments by over 50%.
Bespoke Sustainable Analysis
After we have mapped out the available universe, the Sustainable analysts conduct in-depth bespoke research. The focus is on looking for those issuers that can demonstrate a net benefit to society through either ESG leadership or their products and services. The Sustainability analysis targets two areas:
- Corporate governance – board composition, governance structures and management incentives
- Environmental and social benefit (including products and services and ESG standards) – we look at the products and services of the entity and its role in supporting the transition to a more sustainable society, and the way it manages the environmental and social issues it faces.
The outcome of the sustainability assessment will result in a recommendation, which will be passed onto the RLAM Internal Advisory Committee. This Committee comprises members from RI, Sustainable Equity and Sustainable Credit teams. Its remit is to review recommendations for a company’s inclusion / exclusion in the investment universe. If there is a unanimous decision the security will be included or excluded (dependent on recommendation); in cases where there is no consensus the recommendation is passed to the RLAM External Advisory Committee to give an opinion. The view of the External Advisory Committee is communicated back to the Internal Advisory Committee – who then decide based upon a majority opinion.
Bespoke Credit Analysis
Our sustainable analysts work closely with the Sustainable credit team in order to identify socially positive industries and sectors. We divide research responsibilities across economic sectors but what differentiates RLAM is the high degree of interaction between fund managers and credit analysts.
As a starting point we undertake top down sector analysis, this highlights relative value by sector, region currency and rating. Our initial credit analysis focuses on an assessment of our opening lender position. This includes current leverage, balance sheet liquidity and our perception of a company’s control over cashflows. We then consider the business model; key elements include capital intensity, operational gearing, pricing power and volume variability.
The next part of our assessment considers capital structure and credit enhancements. These factors provide greater certainty that our initial lending position will be maintained and not compromised through additional leverage or subordination.
The intensity of the credit research undertaken is a function of the availability of information. For large corporate issuers there is significant financial and ESG data provided to market participants; this frames our approach to analysis. Such companies will be reviewed on an annual basis with modelling undertaken for new issues. Documentation tends to be light and our focus will be on assessing relative value. For less liquid issues, unrated bonds and segments of the high yield market our analysis will be more focused, given the lower level of information.
Company reviews will be more frequent with greater modelling and review of bond documentation. This will be influenced by the nature of our lending position i.e. secured or unsecured.
For our Sustainable strategies all bonds analysed will have passed our Sustainable screen and have demonstrated attractive ESG characteristics. The investment choice is, therefore, focused on expected return i.e. whether a credit spread is providing sufficient compensation for overall credit risk, encapsulating both probability of default and severity.
Outputs
The Sustainable Credit range funds give preference to issuers where the provision of debt financing will support the move toward a more sustainable society. This can be through supporting entities with socially and environmentally useful products and services, or those with strong ESG management. The key areas supported by these funds are:
- Social Housing – charities providing homes to those in need at below market rents
- Community Funding – includes banks and building societies focused on individuals and small businesses
- Financial Inclusion & Resilience – includes companies providing insurance products and financial services that help to support individuals through life’s unexpected shocks
- Social & Environmental Infrastructure - the provision of vital infrastructure, covering a wide variety of areas from regulated water companies to individual projects such as the Thames Tideway Tunnel
- Energy Transition - borrowers playing a key role in the decarbonisation of society, such as supporting the connection of new renewables to our electricity network
These themes focus on those areas where we believe there is a clear benefit to society and also a clear long term investment case. This means that we will look for opportunities in a wide range of areas e.g. social & affordable housing, hospitals, transport, roads, schools & universities, water infrastructure, electricity distribution and telecommunication. These areas encompass lending to a number of critical sectors where there is no way to access equity ownership i.e. wholly debt funded sectors. This provides attractive diversification of opportunity set for investors who also have exposure to sustainable equity funds.
Our work is then considered by our Advisory Committee, outlined earlier, which provides independent challenge and insight and ensures we always implement our principles.
Portfolio construction
Our focus is on creating robust portfolios that will deliver long-term returns in a low risk way. The core of our approach is therefore to concentrate upon the most reliable sources of outperformance.
- Security Selection: Our philosophy is to look where others are not looking as the best way of creating diversified and robust credit portfolios. This means emphasis on bond covenant analysis and attention to the security offered by a particular bond.
- Duration: Positioning: is a key determinant of performance. We manage the duration of the portfolio to reflect our views on long-term interest rates. Our style is to back our views strongly but to ensure that the scale of the duration position is appropriate.
- Sector allocation: This will be a source of outperformance. We are prepared to be different from the consensus.
- Yield curve: Positioning will be used to enhance return. We undertake various yield curve trades within the different segments of the portfolio while controlling overall duration.
Over the longer term, we believe that sector and security selection will be the most important component of outperformance.
Sector and security sizing will reflect our evaluation of return, risk and sustainability. The active nature of the portfolio means that such positions will differ materially from benchmark weightings. However, our sustainable credit strategies will be broadly based and the active risk taken will be mitigated by significant sector and security
diversification. We seek exposure to secured debt or bonds with strong covenant protections where we feel these features are not reflected in valuations.
Security selection is the responsibility of the named managers. They are responsible for portfolio construction, monitoring risk and managing cashflows. However, they are supported not just by our credit analysts but by the Responsible Investment team, Sustainable analysts, risk monitoring experts, client relationship teams and operational functions (data, investment support, risk and controls and compliance).
Resources, Affiliations & Corporate Strategies:
Royal London Asset Management’s in-house Responsible Investment (RI) team of 16 professionals is led by Head of Responsible Investment, Ashley Hamilton-Claxton.
The RI team works with the investment teams to monitor, assess and analyse ESG factors, vote our shares and engage with companies to encourage better social and environmental outcomes, or better risk management. This team is also responsible for helping to set out our approach and policies around systemic issues such as climate change, providing guidance, feedback and coaching to fund managers and analysts on the latest data, research, policy and industry practices. The Head of Responsible Investment reports to the Chief Investment Officer and is a member of the Front Office leadership team. As the Head of Responsible Investment, Ashley Hamilton Claxton sits on the Investment Committee whilst Will Nicoll, CIO, sits on both the Board and Investment Committee.
Royal London Asset Management is a member of the following initiatives:

Dialshifter
This fund is helping to ‘shift the dial from brown to green’ by…
The investment process of the Royal London Asset Management Sustainable fund range is one of environmental, social and governance (ESG) analysis and integration, which is fundamental for identifying those companies which provide socially and environmentally beneficial products and services.
We are committed to supporting the transition to a low carbon economy. Our Sustainable Funds currently have no direct exposure to fossil fuels as they don’t meet our positive selection criteria for ESG performance, making the funds low carbon. We recognise that calls for the decarbonisation, decentralization, and democratisation of energy markets will have a significant impact on companies’ business models, and we have been seeking to influence companies’ approaches to managing these risks.
SDR Labelling:
Not eligible to use label (out of scope)
Literature
Voting Record
Disclaimer
.Important Information
For further information, please contact:
Royal London Asset Management Limited
80 Fenchurch Street
London, EC3M 4BY
Telephone: 020 3272 5594
E-mail: BDSupport@rlam.com
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This document is a financial promotion. It does not provide, and should not be relied on for, accounting, legal or tax advice, or investment recommendations. The views expressed are the author’s own and do not constitute investment advice. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. The value of investments and the income from them is not guaranteed and may go down as well as up and investors may not get back the amount originally invested. For more information concerning the risks of investing, please refer to the Prospectus or Key Investor Information Document (KIID), available via the relevant Fund Price page on www.rlam.com.
All confidential information relating to any Royal London Group company must be treated by you in the strictest confidence. It may only be used for the purposes of assessing the proposal to engage Royal London Asset Management Limited. Confidential information should not be disclosed to any third party and should only be disclosed to those of your employees and professional advisers who are required to see such information for the purpose set out above. You should ensure that these persons are made aware of the confidential nature of such information and treat it accordingly. You agree to return and/ or destroy all confidential information on receipt of our written request to do so.
Royal London Global Sustainable Credit Fund (IRL) is a sub-funds of Royal London Asset Management Funds plc, an open-ended investment company with variable capital (ICVC), with segregated liability between sub-funds. Incorporated with limited liability under the laws of Ireland and authorised by the Central Bank of Ireland as a UCITS Fund. Registered in Ireland number 364259. Registered office: 70 Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, Dublin 2, Ireland.
For more information on the fund or the risks of investing, please refer to the Prospectus or Key Investor Information Document (KIID), available via the relevant Fund Information page on www.rlam.com.
Notice for UK Investors
The Fund is recognised in the UK under the Overseas Fund Regime (OFR) but is not a UK authorised fund and is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). It is therefore not subject to the same regulatory oversight as UK authorised Funds and is not required to adhere to the UK sustainable investment labelling disclosure requirements. Most of the protections provided by the UK regulatory system, and the compensation under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, will not be available. Investors are strongly encouraged to seek independent financial advice before making any investment decisions.
Issued in April 2026 by Royal London Asset Management Limited, 80 Fenchurch Street, London, EC3M 4BY Registration Number 141665 which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. A subsidiary of The Royal London Mutual Insurance Society Limited The Royal London Mutual Insurance Society Limited is on the Financial Services Register, registration number 117672. Registered in England and Wales number 99064. Our Ref: CONREQ-7543.
| Fund Name | SRI Style | SDR Labelling | Product | Region | Asset Type | Launch Date | Last Amended |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Royal London Global Sustainable Credit Fund |
Sustainable Style | Not eligible to use label (out of scope) | SICAV/Overseas | Global | Fixed Interest | 10/03/2021 | Jun 2026 | |
ObjectivesThe Fund focuses on the sustainability of the products and services of the companies it invests in, as well as their standards of environmental, social, governance (“ESG”) management, alongside financial analysis. The investment approach is fundamentally based on positive screening; identifying companies that are making a positive contribution towards a cleaner, healthier, safer and more inclusive society, through assessing both what a company does and how it does it, and through active engagement to encourage continual improvement. The fund will not invest in companies that undertake business activities deemed to be detrimental to society and that breach our Do No Significant Harm principle. Further details of the Funds' Sustainable Investment process can be found in the ethical and sustainable investment policy here. |
Fund/Portfolio Size: £418.65m (as at: 31/03/2026) Total Screened Themed SRI Assets: £80000.00m (as at: 31/03/2026) Total Responsible Ownership Assets: £197940.00m (as at: 31/03/2026) Total Assets Under Management: £197940.00m (as at: 31/03/2026) ISIN: IE00BN783T77, IE00BN783V99 Contact Us: bdsupport@rlam.co.uk |
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Sustainable, Responsible &/or ESG OverviewWe believe that owners and managers of capital can be a catalyst for positive social and environmental change. They can do this in two ways. By investing in sustainable companies that are helping to solve the world’s social and environmental challenges, and through active engagement to encourage continual improvement. We focus on innovative, sustainable businesses—those with strong management, durable competitive advantages, and a clear commitment to positive societal outcomes. The sustainable fund range’s sustainability objective is to invest in companies that make a positive contribution to one of four ‘Sustainability Themes’. This positive contribution of a company is assessed through the products and services it provides and through its operations; how a company looks after its operational assets, the environment, its stakeholders and the role it plays within its industry. |
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Primary fund last amended: Jun 2026 |
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Information received directly from Fund Manager |
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Fund FiltersSustainability - General
Sustainability policy
Has policies that consider (environmental and social) sustainability issues. Strategies vary but are likely to consider environmental issues like climate change, carbon emissions, biodiversity loss, resource management, environmental impacts; and social issues like equal opportunities, human rights, labour standards, diversity and adherence to internationally recognised codes. See individual entry information.
Sustainability focus
Has a significant focus on sustainability issues
Sustainable transport policy or theme
Has documented policies or thematic investment approaches supporting investment in more sustainable, greener transport methods. These will typically set out a preference for companies that run, enable or support more sustainable methods of transport.
Encourage more sustainable practices through stewardship
Aim to encourage higher sustainability standards through responsible ownership / stewardship / engagement / voting activity
UN Global Compact linked exclusion policy
Use the UN Global Compact to inform or help direct where they can or cannot invest. Will typically not invest in companies with significant breaches (low standards) - strategies vary. (The UNGC covers a wide range of issues - search 'UNGC'). See https://unglobalcompact.org/
Circular economy theme
Has a theme or investment strand focused on the shift to a circular economy - where products are reused and recycled not incinerated or dumped. See eg https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/topics/circular-economy-introduction/overview Environmental - General
Environmental policy
Has policies which relate to environmental issues. These will typically set out their stance on issues such as pollution, climate change, resource management, biodiversity loss, carbon emissions, plastics and/or additional environmental impacts. Strategies vary.
Limits exposure to carbon intensive industries
Options that limit or 'reduce' their exposure to carbon intensive industries (ie sectors which are major contributors to climate change). Strategies vary.
Environmental damage & pollution policy
Has documented policies explaining the approach to environmental damage and pollution. Strategies vary.
Favours cleaner, greener companies
Aims to invest in companies with strong or market leading environmental policies and practices. Strategies vary. See individual entry information for more detail. Climate Change & Energy
Coal, oil & / or gas majors excluded
Avoid investment in major coal, oil and/or gas (extraction) companies. Strategies vary.
Fracking & tar sands excluded
Avoid companies involved in fracking and tar sands - which are widely regarded as controversial methods of oil and gas extraction. Strategies vary.
Arctic drilling exclusion
Avoid companies that are involved in extracting oil from the Arctic regions.
Fossil fuel reserves exclusion
Avoid investing in companies / assets with coal, oil and gas reserves. See individual entry information for further details.
Clean / renewable energy theme or focus
Invest (or may invest) in clean / renewable energy companies and other assets. The proportion directly or indirectly invested in renewable energy may vary over time.
Encourage transition to low carbon through stewardship activity
Encourage the transition to lower carbon activities through asset selection and / or responsible ownership activity.
Energy efficiency theme
Has an energy efficiency theme - typically meaning that the manager is focused on investing in organisations that manage - or help others to manage - energy use more carefully and less wastefully - and so reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Invests in clean energy / renewables
Invest in renewable energy companies and / or companies where renewable energy is a significant part of their business. Strategies vary.
Nuclear exclusion policy
Has a policy which describes the avoidance or limited investment in the nuclear industry. Strategies vary.
Fossil fuel exploration exclusion - direct involvement
Excludes companies and other assets with direct involvement in fossil fuel exploration (eg coal, oil and gas companies) Social / Employment
Social policy
Has policies which set out their approach to social issues (e.g. human rights, labour standards, equal opportunities, child labour and/or adherence to internationally recognised codes such as the UN Global Compact). Strategies with social policies typically avoid companies with low standards and/or work to encourage higher standards. See fund information for detail. Ethical Values Led Exclusions
Ethical policies
Has policies that set out their position on ethical or 'personal values' based issues. Strategies vary.
Tobacco & related product manufacturers excluded
Companies are excluded if they are involved in any aspect of the production chain for tobacco products, including cigarettes, vaping, e-cigarettes, chewing tobacco and cigars.
Controversial weapons exclusion
Excludes companies which make controversial weapons such as landmines, cluster munitions and chemical weapons.
Armaments manufacturers avoided
Avoids companies that manufacture weapons intended specifically for military use. Strategies vary - may or may not include non-strategic military products.
Armaments manufacturers not excluded
Does Not exclude manufacturers of products intended for use in armaments and weapons. So may invest in them
Civilian firearms production exclusion
Has a written civilian firearms exclusion policy - meaning that they will not invest in companies that make (or perhaps also sell) handguns made for non-military users.
Gambling avoidance policy
Avoids companies with significant involvement in the gambling industry. Some may allow a small proportion of revenues to come from this area.
Pornography avoidance policy
Avoids companies that derive significant income from pornography and related areas. Strategies vary.
Animal welfare policy
Has policies that require specific animal welfare standards to be met. These may reference well-known welfare standards (3Rs - Replace, Reduce, Refine) or certification schemes. Strategies vary.
Animal testing exclusion policy
Avoids companies that test their products on animals. Strategies may vary, eg where testing is required by law. Meeting Peoples' Basic Needs
Invests > 5% in social housing
Have investments in social housing or similar assets.
Healthcare / medical theme
Healthcare and or medical theme or area of investment - may have a single or many themes Gilts & Sovereigns
Invests in gilts / government bonds
Invest in loans issued the government, commonly known as gilts or government bonds. These may or may not be ringfenced for specific projects (see additional options).
Invests in sovereigns as an unscreened asset class
Invests in financial instruments issued by governments, typically for risk reasons, but do not screen them for environmental and social characteristics. Banking & Financials
Invests in banks
Can include banks as part of their holdings / portfolio.
Invests in financial instruments issued by banks
Invests in financial instruments (cash, derivatives and / or foreign exchange) issued by banks. Strategies vary.
Invests in insurers
May invest in insurance companies. Governance & Management
Governance policy
Has policies that relate to corporate governance issues such as board structure, executive remuneration, bribery and/or corporate corruption. These funds will typically avoid companies with poor practices. Strategies vary.
Avoids companies with poor governance
Avoids investing in companies with poor governance practices.(e.g. board structure, management practices etc.) Views may however vary on what counts as 'poor' practices - and funds may not immediately divest as they may prefer to work to encourage higher standards.
Encourage board diversity e.g. gender
Encourage the companies they invest in to have more diverse board structures (e.g. more women on boards)
Encourage higher ESG standards through stewardship activity
Aim to encourage higher ESG standards through responsible ownership / stewardship / engagement /voting activity Product / Service Governance
ESG integration strategy
Find fund / asset managers that factor in 'environmental, social and governance' issues as part of their investment decision making process. A focus on 'ESG' typically means a fund is carrying out additional research to help reduce ESG related risks. It does not necessarily mean a focus on sustainability. Strategies vary. See fund literature. Asset Size
Invest in supranationals
Invests in international entities or bodies with agreed remits that are broadly similar to those that may otherwise be undertaken by individual governments eg the UN Impact Methodologies
Aims to generate positive impacts (or 'outcomes')
Has policies that aim to help or support the delivery of positive social or environmental impacts (or societal/real world outcomes) by investing in companies they regard as beneficial to people and / or the planet. Strategies vary. How The Fund/Portfolio Works
Positive selection bias
Focuses on finding and investing in companies with positive / beneficial attributes. This strategy can be applied in addition to exclusion criteria and engagement/stewardship activity.
Significant harm exclusion
Aims to avoid companies that do significant harm. This originates from the EU’s sustainable finance ‘DNSH’ (do no significant harm) work, which is not necessarily used by UK investors.
Combines ESG strategy with other SRI criteria
Invests in assets which have an ESG strategy (which is typically focused on avoiding companies that pose environmental, social or governance related risks) together with additional criteria such as positive and/or negative screens, themes and stewardship strategies.
Balances company 'pros and cons' / best in sector
Considers both the 'positive' and 'negative' aspects of company behaviour and makes balanced, considered decisions as part of their investment approach. May apply to a range of different issues and policy areas.
ESG risk mitigation focus
Focuses on the careful management of environmental, social and governance (ESG) related risks - typically by avoiding or being underweight in companies seen as posing major risks in these areas (i.e. not necessarily by using themes, exclusions etc).
SRI / ESG / Ethical policies explained on website
Publish explanations of their ethical, social and/or environmental policies online (i.e. investment decision making strategies/ buy/sell &/or asset management strategies).
Do not use stock / securities lending
Does not use stock lending for performance or risk purposes. Unscreened Assets & Cash
Assets typically aligned to sustainability objectives 70 - 79%
Holds between 70-79% of assets which align to the sustainability objectives; which are not being held purely for risk management purposes, such as derivatives and cash equivalent assets.
Assets typically aligned to sustainability objectives 80 – 89%
Holds between 80-89% of assets which align to the sustainability objectives; which are not being held purely for risk management purposes, such as derivatives and cash equivalent assets.
Assets typically aligned to sustainability objectives > 90%
Holds at least 90% of assets which align to the sustainability objectives; which are not being held purely for risk management purposes, such as derivatives and cash equivalent assets.
All assets (except cash) meet published sustainability criteria
All assets - except cash - meet the sustainability criteria published in strategy documentation. Intended Clients & Product Options
Intended for clients interested in sustainability
Designed to meet the needs of individual investors with an interest in sustainability issues.
Available via an ISA (OEIC only)
Available via a tax efficient ISA product wrapper. Labels & Accreditations
SFDR Article 9 fund / product (EU)
Find options classified under Article 9 of the EU’s SFDR (Sustainable Finance Disclosure Requirements). Article 9 of the SFDR applies to financial products that have sustainable investment 'objectives' - including emissions reduction objectives. (These may currently be referred to as 'impact' funds or aiming to deliver clear, specific positive outcomes.) These rules do not currently apply in the UK so product managers may leave this field blank.
ACT signatory
A voluntary corporate culture standard for investment managers, see https://www.investorsact.com/ - City Hive Fund Management Company InformationAbout The Business
Responsible ownership / stewardship policy or strategy (AFM companywide)
Finds fund / asset management companies that have a published company wide stewardship, engagement and / or responsible ownership policy or strategy that covers all investments. Stewardship typically involves encouraging higher ESG standards through voting and dialogue.
ESG / SRI engagement (AFM companywide)
Find fund / asset management companies that actively encourage higher 'environmental, social and governance' and / or 'sustainable and responsible investment' practices across investee companies - typically where the aim is to encourage positive change that is aligned with the best interests of investors. Strategies vary. See additional information and options.
Vote all* shares at AGMs / EGMs (AFM companywide)
Find fund / asset managers that vote all* the shares they own at Annual General Meetings and Extraordinary General Meetings. A commitment to voting shares is a key indicator of 'responsible share ownership' demonstrating their support for or disagreement with management policy. (*situations can legitimately, occasionally occur where voting proves impossible, but in principle all shares should be voted.)
Responsible ownership / ESG a key differentiator (AFM companywide)
Find fund / asset managers that consider responsible ownership and ESG to be a key differentiator for their business.
Sustainable property strategy (AFM companywide)
Find fund / asset management companies that take sustainability criteria into account when selecting and/or managing all of their property / real estate investments.
Integrates ESG factors into all / most research (AFM companywide)
Find fund / asset management companies that consider environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues when deciding whether or not to invest in a company for all / almost all of their funds and other assets. This is increasingly seen as part of sound risk management.
In-house diversity improvement programme (AFM companywide)
Finds organisations / fund managers that have an in-house (company wide) diversity improvement programme - meaning that they are working to ensure that within their own businesses they employ people from diverse backgrounds - often typically focused on ethnicity and/or sex.
Invests in newly listed companies (AFM companywide)
This fund / asset management company invests in companies which have recently listed on a stock exchange (which is important as it can help grow new businesses).
Invests in new sustainability linked bond issuances (AFM companywide)
Fund / asset management company has investments in bonds designed to meet sustainability requirements - however these assets may not be 'ringfenced' for this purpose. See website for details. Collaborations & Affiliations
PRI signatory
Find fund / asset management companies that have signed up to the UN backed 'Principles of Responsible Investment'.
UKSIF member
Find fund / asset management companies that are members of UKSIF - the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance association
Fund EcoMarket partner
Find fund / asset management companies that have partnered with Fund EcoMarket - meaning that they are helping to improve access to information on sustainable and responsible investment by paying an annual fee to us which enables us to publish information for free. Partner funds are listed ahead of other funds and have their logos displayed.
Investment Association (IA) member
Fund management entity is a member of the Investment Association https://www.theia.org/ Resources
In-house responsible ownership / voting expertise
Find fund / asset management companies that employ people to steer and support fund managers in voting shares at company AGM's and EGMs in ways that are consistent with encouraging higher ESG/sustainability standards.
Employ specialist ESG / SRI / sustainability researchers
Find a fund / asset management company that directly employs specialist ESG/SRI/sustainability researchers or analysts. This allows asset managers to discuss environmental, social and governance risks and opportunities directly with companies.
Use specialist ESG / SRI / sustainability research companies
Find fund / asset management companies that makes use of expert external research companies. This can help deliver specialist expertise and means resources are pooled with other investors. Accreditations
UK Stewardship Code signatory (AFM companywide)
Find fund / asset managers that are signatories to the FRC UK Stewardship Code, which sets out a framework for constructive investor / investee relations where managers are encouraged to behave like responsible, typically longer term 'company owners'. Engagement Approach
Regularly lead collaborative ESG initiatives (AFM companywide)
Find fund / asset management companies that regularly initiate or run industry wide (collaborative) investor projects aimed at raising environmental, social and governance standards amongst investee companies.
Engaging on climate change issues
Fund / asset manager has stewardship /responsible ownership strategy that is focused on addressing climate change with investee assets.
Engaging with fossil fuel companies on climate change
Fund / asset manager has a stewardship /responsible ownership strategy that involves working with fossil fuel companies on climate change related issues. See fund manager website for details.
Engaging to encourage responsible mining practices
Fund / asset manager has a stewardship / responsible ownership policy that means they are working to encourage more responsible mining practices - where environmental and social issues are properly dealt with by the companies they invest in.
Engaging on biodiversity / nature issues
The fund / asset manager has a responsible ownership / stewardship strategy that focuses on biodiversity and nature issues relating to the assets they invest the aim of which will be to reduce harm and or deliver improvement. Strategies vary. https://tnfd.global
Engaging to encourage a Just Transition
Fund / asset manager has a responsible ownership / stewardship strategy which means they are working to encourage the shift to more sustainable business practices in ways that respect and are sensitive to social issues and the impact change has on people effected by the changes that are taking place. https://www.transitionpathwayinitiative.org/ https://transitiontaskforce.net/
Engaging on human rights issues
Fund / asset manager has responsible ownership / stewardship strategy in place which aims to address human rights issues in investee companies (and potentially their suppliers) with the aim of raising standards
Engaging on labour / employment issues
Fund / asset manager has responsible ownership / stewardship strategy in place that aims to improve labour standards for the benefit of employees in investee companies (and potentially their suppliers)
Engaging on diversity, equality & / or inclusion issues
Fund / asset management company has a stewardship strategy in place which involves working to raise diversity, equality and inclusion standards across investee assets
Engaging to stop modern slavery
Fund / asset manager is working with the assets they hold to help stamp out modern slavery - where direct or indirect company employees are exploited for business benefits.
Engaging on governance issues
Fund / asset managers have stewardship strategies in place that focus on improving governance standards across investee assets
Engaging on mental health issues
Fund / asset manager has stewardship strategy in place which involves discussing mental health issues with investee companies - with the aim of raising standards
Engaging on responsible supply chain issues
Has a stewardship / responsible ownership strategy that encourages responsible supply chain - ie the managers will discuss environmental, social and governance issues with investee companies with the aim of raising standards
Engaging on the responsible use of AI
Working to address sustainability, ESG and related concerns around artificial intelligence.
Split voting policy
This fund / asset manager may vote differently for different clients or regions. See fund manager stewardship policy for further information.
Stewardship escalation policy
Escalation policies describe how a manager will proceed if stewardship / engagement activity is not successful in the short term. Company Wide Exclusions
Controversial weapons avoidance policy (AFM companywide)
Find fund / asset management companies (not funds) that avoid investment in 'controversial weapons' across all of their funds and other investment vehicles.
Review(ing) carbon / fossil fuel exposure for all funds (AFM companywide)
Find funds / asset managers that are reviewing, or have reviewed, their exposure to carbon intensive industries including (but not only) mining, oil and gas companies. (Typically with reference to climate change.) Climate & Net Zero Transition
Net Zero commitment (AFM companywide)
Fund / asset management organisations that have pledged to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to ‘net zero’. Strategies vary - this area is changing rapidly.
Voting policy includes net zero targets (AFM companywide)
Fund / asset manager AGM / EGM voting strategy has processes in place that mean they will normally be expected to vote in a way that will encourage the transition to net zero greenhouse gas emissions.
Publish 'CEO owned' Climate Risk policy (AFM companywide)
Find fund / asset management companies that have published a Climate Risk policy or statement that is signed / owned by their Chief Executive.
Net Zero - have set a Net Zero target date (AFM companywide)
This fund / asset management company has set a date by which they plan to achieve net zero greenhouse gas / CO2e emissions.
Encourage carbon / greenhouse gas reduction (AFM companywide)
Find fund / asset management companies that are working with the companies they invest in to encourage reductions in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions.
‘Forward Looking Climate Metrics’ published / ITR (AFM companywide)
Finds organisations / fund managers that have published ‘forward looking climate metrics’ e.g. 'implied temperature rise' data that are a total of the asset management company's share (% owned) of all the investee company emissions of the assets they manage, as well as their own direct and other indirect emissions.
Carbon offsetting – do NOT offset carbon as part of net zero plan (AFM companywide)
This fund / asset management company plans to achieve net zero greenhouse gas (CO2e) emissions by reducing their emissions. Calculations and scope vary.
Working towards a ‘Net Zero’ commitment (AFM companywide)
Finds organisations / fund management companies that are in the process of working out how to make a ‘net zero commitment’ - meaning that when that is finalised they will have started the process of reducing their total greenhouse gas emissions to 'zero'. Transparency
Publish responsible ownership / stewardship report (AFM companywide)
Find fund / asset management companies that publish a report detailing their responsible investment ownership - also known as 'Stewardship' - activity.
Full stewardship / responsible ownership policy information on company website
Find fund / asset management companies that publish information about their sustainable and responsible investment strategies on their company website.
Full stewardship / responsible ownership policy information available on request
Find fund / asset management companies that will supply information about their sustainable and responsible investment activity on request.
Publish full voting record (AFM companywide)
Fund / asset management companies that publish a full record of how they vote their shares at AGMs (annual general meetings) and EGMs (extraordinary general meetings). Voting strategies have an important role to play encouraging higher environmental, social and governance standards.
Dialshifter statement
Find fund / asset management companies that have supplied Dialshifter information. See Dialshifter tab within record for more information. CommentsPlease note:
Sustainable, Responsible &/or ESG Policy:The Sustainable Team Investment Process is fundamentally based on positive screening; looking for companies providing a net benefit for society through their products and services (the “what”) and/or demonstrating leading sustainable practices in the way they operate (the “how”). While the investment process is fundamentally based on positive screening, the team has also developed avoidance criteria (negative screening) to ensure the investments are compatible with the Sustainable objective of the portfolios and meet the Do No Significant Harm principle. As such, the Sustainable Investment Team will not invest in any company that is or is likely to breach the UN Global Compact 10 Principles [1] or any company that fails or is likely to fail to satisfactorily mitigate its negative environmental or social impact (e.g. fossil fuel extraction). Specifically, for companies operating in the fossil fuel and mining industries, the team is committed to support the transition to a more sustainable society and has divided ‘fossil fuels’ into extraction, power generation and services and has the following policy for companies involved in:
Process:Overview The integration of sustainability factors into investment decisions requires significant expertise and resource. We believe it is also best done internally, allowing us to consider and challenge the specifics of sustainable investment rather than over-elevating generalities. This approach enhancing both decision making and investment flexibility. We supplement our internal expertise with a high quality External Advisory Committee, which provides independent challenge and insight and ensures we implement our principles in a dynamic and fast-changing world. It is a process that is inherently flexible, capable of meeting client needs on both a segregated and a pooled basis. The process has a clear identity, both in the way it selects holdings and in the way it builds portfolios. Measure/Identify The benchmark for the strategy has approximately 2300 issuers. We do not confine ourselves to index constituents and will also consider bonds with an issue size below the threshold for benchmark inclusion and those without a credit rating or below investment grade, as long as the sustainability and return credentials are appropriate. Initial research is undertaken by the sustainable analysts, who work closely with the credit team in order to identify socially positive industries and sectors. A number of bespoke and external systems are used to identify the sustainable issues that could plausibly affect our outlook on a sector, or help distinguish securities with lower risk. We use external data from MSCI and Bloomberg as appropriate to supplement our research effort and enable the teams to focus their primary analysis and financial modelling on lower profile corporate bonds which we consider to be less extensively researched by the wider market. Avoidance Criteria and Do No Significant Harm The Sustainable Team Investment Process is fundamentally based on positive screening; looking for companies providing a net benefit for society through their products and services (the “what”) and/or demonstrating leading sustainable practices in the way they operate (the “how”). While the investment process is fundamentally based on positive screening, the team has also developed avoidance criteria (negative screening) to ensure the investments are compatible with the Sustainable objective of the portfolios and meet the Do No Significant Harm principle. As such, the Sustainable Investment Team will not invest in any company that is or is likely to breach the UN Global Compact 10 Principles [2] or any company that fails or is likely to fail to satisfactorily mitigate its negative environmental or social impact (e.g. fossil fuel extraction). Specifically, for companies operating in the fossil fuel and mining industries, the team is committed to support the transition to a more sustainable society and has divided ‘fossil fuels’ into extraction, power generation and services and has the following policy for companies involved in:
Bespoke Sustainable Analysis After we have mapped out the available universe, the Sustainable analysts conduct in-depth bespoke research. The focus is on looking for those issuers that can demonstrate a net benefit to society through either ESG leadership or their products and services. The Sustainability analysis targets two areas:
Bespoke Credit Analysis Our sustainable analysts work closely with the Sustainable credit team in order to identify socially positive industries and sectors. We divide research responsibilities across economic sectors but what differentiates RLAM is the high degree of interaction between fund managers and credit analysts. As a starting point we undertake top down sector analysis, this highlights relative value by sector, region currency and rating. Our initial credit analysis focuses on an assessment of our opening lender position. This includes current leverage, balance sheet liquidity and our perception of a company’s control over cashflows. We then consider the business model; key elements include capital intensity, operational gearing, pricing power and volume variability. The next part of our assessment considers capital structure and credit enhancements. These factors provide greater certainty that our initial lending position will be maintained and not compromised through additional leverage or subordination. The intensity of the credit research undertaken is a function of the availability of information. For large corporate issuers there is significant financial and ESG data provided to market participants; this frames our approach to analysis. Such companies will be reviewed on an annual basis with modelling undertaken for new issues. Documentation tends to be light and our focus will be on assessing relative value. For less liquid issues, unrated bonds and segments of the high yield market our analysis will be more focused, given the lower level of information. Company reviews will be more frequent with greater modelling and review of bond documentation. This will be influenced by the nature of our lending position i.e. secured or unsecured. For our Sustainable strategies all bonds analysed will have passed our Sustainable screen and have demonstrated attractive ESG characteristics. The investment choice is, therefore, focused on expected return i.e. whether a credit spread is providing sufficient compensation for overall credit risk, encapsulating both probability of default and severity. Outputs
Our work is then considered by our Advisory Committee, outlined earlier, which provides independent challenge and insight and ensures we always implement our principles. Portfolio construction Our focus is on creating robust portfolios that will deliver long-term returns in a low risk way. The core of our approach is therefore to concentrate upon the most reliable sources of outperformance.
Sector and security sizing will reflect our evaluation of return, risk and sustainability. The active nature of the portfolio means that such positions will differ materially from benchmark weightings. However, our sustainable credit strategies will be broadly based and the active risk taken will be mitigated by significant sector and security Resources, Affiliations & Corporate Strategies:Royal London Asset Management’s in-house Responsible Investment (RI) team of 16 professionals is led by Head of Responsible Investment, Ashley Hamilton-Claxton. The RI team works with the investment teams to monitor, assess and analyse ESG factors, vote our shares and engage with companies to encourage better social and environmental outcomes, or better risk management. This team is also responsible for helping to set out our approach and policies around systemic issues such as climate change, providing guidance, feedback and coaching to fund managers and analysts on the latest data, research, policy and industry practices. The Head of Responsible Investment reports to the Chief Investment Officer and is a member of the Front Office leadership team. As the Head of Responsible Investment, Ashley Hamilton Claxton sits on the Investment Committee whilst Will Nicoll, CIO, sits on both the Board and Investment Committee. Royal London Asset Management is a member of the following initiatives:
Dialshifter (Fund)This fund is helping to ‘shift the dial from brown to green’ by… The investment process of the Royal London Asset Management Sustainable fund range is one of environmental, social and governance (ESG) analysis and integration, which is fundamental for identifying those companies which provide socially and environmentally beneficial products and services. We are committed to supporting the transition to a low carbon economy. Our Sustainable Funds currently have no direct exposure to fossil fuels as they don’t meet our positive selection criteria for ESG performance, making the funds low carbon. We recognise that calls for the decarbonisation, decentralization, and democratisation of energy markets will have a significant impact on companies’ business models, and we have been seeking to influence companies’ approaches to managing these risks.
Dialshifter (Corporate)Our organisation is helping to support the Paris Climate Agreement and the Race to Net Zero by… Net Zero Commitment Summary By 2030, Royal London Asset Management aims to engage issuers representing 70% of financed emissions, encouraging science-based targets (e.g., SBTi) and climate transition plans. This firm-level commitment is transparently reported and does not apply to all RLAM funds—please refer to individual fund prospectuses. The focus is on real-economy decarbonisation through engagement, not divestment. RLAM supports decarbonising portfolio companies and collaborates with segregated clients who have net zero goals. This commitment assumes supportive government action and alignment with RLAM’s fiduciary duties. SDR Labelling:Not eligible to use label (out of scope) LiteratureVoting RecordDisclaimer.Important Information For further information, please contact: For professional clients only. This document may not be distributed to any unauthorised persons and is not suitable for retail clients. This document is a financial promotion. It does not provide, and should not be relied on for, accounting, legal or tax advice, or investment recommendations. The views expressed are the author’s own and do not constitute investment advice. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. The value of investments and the income from them is not guaranteed and may go down as well as up and investors may not get back the amount originally invested. For more information concerning the risks of investing, please refer to the Prospectus or Key Investor Information Document (KIID), available via the relevant Fund Price page on www.rlam.com. All confidential information relating to any Royal London Group company must be treated by you in the strictest confidence. It may only be used for the purposes of assessing the proposal to engage Royal London Asset Management Limited. Confidential information should not be disclosed to any third party and should only be disclosed to those of your employees and professional advisers who are required to see such information for the purpose set out above. You should ensure that these persons are made aware of the confidential nature of such information and treat it accordingly. You agree to return and/ or destroy all confidential information on receipt of our written request to do so. Royal London Global Sustainable Credit Fund (IRL) is a sub-funds of Royal London Asset Management Funds plc, an open-ended investment company with variable capital (ICVC), with segregated liability between sub-funds. Incorporated with limited liability under the laws of Ireland and authorised by the Central Bank of Ireland as a UCITS Fund. Registered in Ireland number 364259. Registered office: 70 Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, Dublin 2, Ireland. For more information on the fund or the risks of investing, please refer to the Prospectus or Key Investor Information Document (KIID), available via the relevant Fund Information page on www.rlam.com. Notice for UK Investors Issued in April 2026 by Royal London Asset Management Limited, 80 Fenchurch Street, London, EC3M 4BY Registration Number 141665 which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. A subsidiary of The Royal London Mutual Insurance Society Limited The Royal London Mutual Insurance Society Limited is on the Financial Services Register, registration number 117672. Registered in England and Wales number 99064. Our Ref: CONREQ-7543. |
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