Corporate social responsibility
We recognise the impact that we have on the communities in which we operate and are taking action to help ensure a sustainable future.
As a subsidiary of Nedbank, Africa’s first carbon neutral bank, we take all elements of sustainability seriously. We believe in first reducing, and then offsetting if needed. This approach means we are always looking for ways to reduce our carbon footprint, from energy efficiency within our offices, to fostering behavioural change in our staff, their families, and our communities. Find out more about how we go about this below.
Environment
We support projects that help reduce the impact we have on our local and global environment.
By working closely with local charities, we help improve the communities in which we operate. Our staff participate in beach cleans and works to improve nature reserves as well as being an active corporate member of the Manx Wildlife trust.
In 2020 we signed up to a partnership with Ecologi, a social enterprise which plants trees and invests in environmental initiatives around the world to help combat climate change. In doing so it gives jobs to thousands of people.
Our partnership with Ecologi
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By investing into Ecologi, it has enabled us to make all our staff carbon positive, which means that we are offsetting more than our collective carbon footprint puts back into the environment. This includes emissions from our homes, personal travel, holidays, food, hobbies and more.
So far we have funded over 115,000 trees and supported the prevention of nearly 7,000 tonnes of carbon from being emitted through supporting 38 verified carbon avoidance projects.
Climate action workforce
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We are committed to funding climate solutions that remove CO2 from the atmosphere. Importantly, we are supporting projects in areas of the world that need it most.
Projects we support
Peatland restoration and conservation in Indonesia
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Peatlands are a type of wetland and are among the most valuable ecosystems on Earth. The term ‘peatland’ refers to the peat soil and the wetland habitat growing on its surface. Peat is a swampy, water-logged soil that is made through the slow accumulation of dead trees, plants, and other organic material which can only partially decompose due to the volume of water these habitats contain.
These unique habitats store massive amounts of carbon, with stocks below ground amounting to up to 20 times the amount stored in trees and vegetation. Despite covering just 3% of the Earth’s surface, they store more carbon than all other vegetation types in the world combined. When peatlands are cleared, drained or burned, the carbon stored within them is released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.
Indonesia contains some 36% of the world’s tropical peatlands, however they are increasingly being destroyed to make room for plantation crops including oil palm and acacia. From 2000 to 2015, the country lost an average of 498,000 hectares of forest each year.
Peatland restoration and conservation in Indonesia | Ecologi
Wind power project in Thailand
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By supporting Thailand’s shift to renewable energy sources such as wind, the country, its inhabitants, and its local biodiversity will benefit for decades to come. Funding projects such as this one decreases Thailand’s dependency on coal and gas, and contributes to cleaner air quality, job creation in a developing green economy, and ultimately a future void of fossil fuels.
Wind project in Thailand | Ecologi
For a full list of supported projects, please visit our Ecologi page. Nedbank Private Wealth Limited | Ecologi
If you would like to find out more about our partnership with Ecologi, please visit the Nedbank Private Wealth page for further information.
Sustainable investing
Sustainability is a key ingredient to successful long-term investing. As a multi-asset manager, we cherry-pick the best specialist investment managers, and carefully assess the importance of sustainability in their investment process. At a minimum, all the managers selected to run money on our clients’ behalf are signed up to the Principles for Responsible Investing, and each have in place strict policies towards socially responsible, as well as impact, investing.
We offer a sustainable investing strategy for clients who wish to align their money more closely with their values, while not compromising on growth. What this means in practice is providing investment strategies that limit investment portfolio exposure to companies that are associated with things such as fossil fuels, weapons, alcohol, tobacco and instead aligning to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Our sustainable investing strategies will, at all times, be required to have a net positive alignment to the SDGs. By aligning with the SDGs we can offer investment opportunities with a foundation for improving equality, reducing poverty and protecting the environment while not impacting projected returns on investment.
Governance as an investor
We take our role as responsible investors seriously and regularly vote on governance matters. We believe strong governance ensures that the investments we make on our clients’ behalf will withstand the long-term timelines typically involved, and deliver the best outcomes for our clients.
Transparency is also key to good governance. We aim to make all fees and charges clear, prominent, and provide complete disclosures. It’s why we always report our performance net of all fees.
Charitable giving
Our staff charity committee meets regularly to organise activities to raise funds across our offices. These funds, together with corporate matched funding, are distributed to support staff-nominated local charities and worthy causes.
Also on an annual basis, Nedbank Private Wealth supports the Nedbank South Africa Charity Golf Day, which is the largest charity golf tournament in Europe. To find out more, please visit the event’s website: https://www.sagolfday.com/
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