The journey to net zero
We’re already investing our members’ pension savings to help fight the climate emergency – see what's next
Why does this matter?
As well as growing members’ pension savings, we want to help reduce global warming and protect our planet and the human race. Pension savings have the power to do this – if invested wisely, they can help with major global issues such as fighting climate change and improving biodiversity.
Where we started
We made a pledge back in 2021 to get our investments to net zero ahead of 2050 and make significant progress before 2030.
We spent time planning
We spent a lot of time thinking about how to get to net zero in a responsible way, without cutting corners. Our focus is on long-term sustainability rather than quick fixes.
Net Zero by 2040
Our default growth fund will be net zero by 2040. This is ten years earlier than 2050, which is what most pension schemes have committed to. We are also the first to announce a 50% reduction of emissions from our default fund – and we did this two years ahead of the target we set ourselves.
Removing deforestation from our investments
We are committed to removing deforestation from our investments as deforestation is intrinsically linked to climate change and biodiversity loss. Over a billion people rely on forests for food, shelter, medicine or fuel.
Investing in renewable energy
We will be investing in companies transitioning from oil, gas and other fossil fuels into more renewable energy. We’re also investing in companies that are improving energy efficiency and creating green buildings.
Investing in education and health
We will be investing in companies that are actively working to improve education and health such as clinical research and pharmaceuticals.
Investing in innovation for good
We will invest in companies that are innovating to create sustainable agriculture and forestry and focused on stopping ecosystem collapse.
Investing in recycling and reusing materials
We will invest in companies that recycle huge volumes of waste each year and re-use our precious water supply.
Sustainable funds
Our default growth fund is used by over 90% of our members and is invested in a sustainable way. We offer our members choice, based on their own personal beliefs around how sustainable they want their pension to be. These options range from investing responsibly by mitigating risks, right up to using pension savings to actively invest in projects making a positive difference to the world around us.
Company Net Zero goals
We have calculated our carbon footprint across our company's operations and will be extending this to our Platform as a Service (PaaS) soon. We hired a dedicated Sustainability Team in February 2022 and we will prioritise reducing our emissions first and then ensure the integrity of any offsets used.
Read more about how we plan to achieve our investment targets.
Read more about why deforestation is a risk to investments and how we plan to manage it.
Talk to us now
Book a call with us today and join over 70,000 employers who are already using Smart Pension and helping over a million members save for retirement.
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