Only a fifth of defined benefit (DB) pensions schemes trustees are focusing on responsible investment (RI) training pensions and financial services consultancy Hymans Robertson has warned. The firm’s research shows that, despite risks associated with environmental and social factors “continually evolving”, the number of trustees intending to take training on RI issues in 2023 has decreased to 20% from a high of 31% in 2021 and just over a quarter (26%) in 2020. On climate change and actively seeking to understand how climate risks impact their long-term objectives, just 30% of respondents plan to commission analysis on the matter, a slight increase from 28% in 2021. Less than half of respondents (45%) said they planned to commission a RI investment review in 2022, which would “provides trustees with key information around how their managers are handling the sustainability of their investments including information around stewardship”. Hymans Robertson said this change will affect pension trustees’ ability to “make informed decisions” about investment strategies, potentially leaving schemes “significantly exposed to major systemic risks” like climate change, and other risks such as greenwashing.
