Scottish Widows has partnered with asset manager Robeco to strengthen its responsible investing approach.
The partnership will focus on creating custom equity indices for developed and emerging markets that are sustainable at their core, using Robeco’s expertise in ESG and climate measures. These new indices will become a standard part of Scottish Widows’ UK pension offerings.
The collaboration also includes joint research through Robeco’s sustainable investing centre which, according to Scottish Widows, will enhance its responsible investment approach on topics such as the energy transition, nature and deforestation.
Additionally, insights from Robeco will help shape Scottish Widows’ Climate Action Plan, set to be released later this year.
Scottish Widows’ head of responsible investment Eva Cairns says: “We’ve been working hard behind the scenes to enhance our responsible investing strategy, and we’re excited to be working closely with Robeco to take this to the next level.
“By pooling our collective expertise and leveraging Robeco’s depth of research and centre of excellence, we can innovate at pace and deliver a unique set of indices for UK workplace pension savers with responsible investing fitted as standard. This is a huge moment for us, and we are committed to our customers and their future.”
Robeco Indices head Joop Huij says: “We are delighted to be embarking on a strategic partnership with Scottish Widows, with a focus on bespoke Robeco-SW indices that leverage a number of our proprietary sustainable investment frameworks and innovations. We look forward to working closely with Scottish Widows – a valued strategic partner – to expand the scope of our collaboration in 2025 and beyond.”
