Responsible investing

At Kleinwort Hambros, we aim to demystify responsible investing, while combining the strengths of all conventional approaches. Our proposition incorporates the merits of ethical, ESG, sustainable, and impact investing. From the exclusion of controversial sectors to the direct influence of impact funds, we have adopted techniques spanning the spectrum of responsible investing principles.

Responsible investing is perhaps the most significant movement in the investment industry for a generation, yet the lack of a single, clear definition risks undermining its importance. For investors who want to harness the power of their capital to effect positive change, the vast array of definitions can be confusing, if not discouraging.

Please click here to download our 2022 responsibility report.

We limit exposure to controversial sectors across our direct security investment portfolios.

 

The key controversial sectors we limit exposure to are listed below. We also exclude companies with a MSCI ESG rating of CCC. 

MSCI Very Severe Controversy (Red Flag) 

Thermal Coal

Gambling

Adult Entertainment

Tobacco

Controversial Weapons, including Cluster Munitions, Landmines, Bio/Chem Weapons, Depleted Uranium

We integrate ESG into our fund selection process

ESG stands for Environmental, Social, and Governance. These non-financial factors are increasingly being applied by investors to their financial analysis to identify material risk and growth opportunities. ESG factors are often interlinked, but the constitute parts allow investors to consider specific factors when conducting their business.

We integrate MSCI ESG Ratings into the investment process, so that we can be comfortable that we are only selecting funds with sound credentials.

If we have concerns related to assets that individual funds are invested in, we actively engage with fund managers to review their ESG approach.

alternativeMSCI is a company which has 40+ years of experience analysing data from thousands of sources. MSCI ESG Rating is designed to measure a company’s resilience to long-term, industry material environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks.

Our Responsibility Journey

  • Launched Responsible Investment Committee 

    Started excluding controversial sectors – for example thermal coal -  from direct holdings of all managed portfolios

    Committed to HM Treasury’s Women in Finance Charter, with a target of achieving 50% of women in senior roles by 2025

    Became a founding partner of the WealthiHer Network, which champions the transformation of the finance industry’s approach to women

  • Signed the UN Principles of Responsible Investing and became a member of the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association

    Created a dedicated Responsible Bank Committee chaired by the CEO to review, define and implement the bank’s responsibility activities, targets and roadmap

    Together with SG Group, we raised over £925k for CLIC Sargent, the UK’s leading cancer charity for children and young people

    7,732 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) volunteering hours logged in 2020 by Kleinwort Hambros  staff

    Our new London offices - One Bank Street -  achieved the highest sustainability classification as a building and for interior design by BREEAM, the world's longest established method of assessing, rating, and certifying the sustainability of buildings

  • As part of our  commitment to increase transparency regarding responsible investing, we included ESG metrics and the carbon intensity of all our portfolios in marketing documents and client reporting

    We are proud to support Shelter, Jersey Women’s Refuge, GROW and Clubhouse as our staff selected charity partners

    We planted over 5,700 trees in partnership with MyTree, a specialist in reforestation projects

    72% of investments are now subject to ESG integration processes

  • Working with an external consultant to measure the carbon impact of our business activities, as part of our Net Zero roadmap

    Our new Gibraltar Office is rated Grade A for energy efficiency & environmental impact

    Integrating ESG criteria in the selection of alternative assets, for example real estate & private equity