At Rathbone Greenbank Investments (Greenbank), our mission is to generate long-term value for our clients. We utilise our expertise and passion to create positive impact through our bespoke investment services.
Over the past 18 months, the importance of effective health care has been brought into sharp focus. However, today two billion people cannot access the medicine they need due to price and accessibility among other factors.
A coalition of investors and NGOs (non-governmental organisations), led by Rathbone Greenbank Investments (Greenbank), recently wrote to the UK government urging it to demonstrate clear leadership and ambition in its response to the National Food Strategy’s recommendations for promoting a healthier and more sustainable food system in the UK.
The investor voice is a powerful means to influence and direct the ways in which companies are run. Taking an active approach to our share ownership of companies is part of the Greenbank service and complements our investment analysis. It is a vital expression of our role as stewards of our clients’ assets to advocate for lasting change with the companies in which we invest.
Engagement forms a key part of Greenbank’s approach to responsible investment in the following ways:
The emissions gap
Each year, the United Nations Environment Programme reports the gap between where global greenhouse gas emissions are and where they should be to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
Each year, emissions rise. The most recent report “The Emissions Gap 2019” showed that for global warming to be kept to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels by 2030, emissions must drop by 7.6% per year. Several countries, including the UK have set targets to be net-zero by 2050.
Climate change continues to be a core issue for Greenbank. COP261 will be hosted in the UK in 2021 and is set to be a landmark gathering. It will provide the first opportunity for countries' nationally determined contributions (NDCs) to be reviewed and strengthened since the Paris Agreement was reached at COP21 in 2015.
What are the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs)?
The Montréal Carbon Pledge encourages investors to monitor, disclose and reduce the carbon footprint associated with their investment portfolios.
“We have not come here to beg world leaders to care. We have come here to let you know that change is coming, whether you like it or not.”
